


Real Christmas

by New54321



Series: Real Christmas [1]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Christmas, F/F, Fluff, Nicole Haught is an Adorable Baby, No Angst, Renovator!Nicole, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Woodworker!Nicole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:55:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 37,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27777220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/New54321/pseuds/New54321
Summary: Nicole Haught loves Christmas. It’s always been her escape from the real world, and she believes everyone should feel that same magic that she does when the most wonderful time of the year rolls around.So when she finds a heartfelt, long undelivered letter to Santa Claus in the home she is hired to renovate, Nicole can’t help but hope that little eight year old Waverly Earp got everything she’d dreamed of.Those fleeting hopes come crashing down when Nicole’s client, Wynonna, tells her that not only did Waverly not get anything she’d asked for that year, but that seventeen whole Christmasses have passed since with no wish come true.When Nicole finally meets the beautifully charming youngest Earp, she’s determined to check off every one of the wishes written on that childhood list.Can Nicole give Waverly the Christmas she’s always wanted? And will Waverly turn out to be Nicole’s own Christmas wish come true?
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Series: Real Christmas [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2082579
Comments: 430
Kudos: 1170





	1. Real Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> It’s December this week, so it’s Christmas fic time!!!
> 
> Christmas fic time marks a year since I started writing fanfic, so massive thanks to everyone who has read, commented on, or given kudos to anything I’ve written this year! 
> 
> This fic is the softest shit I have ever written. It is nothing but pure tooth-rotting Christmas fluff. 
> 
> Please note the difference in rating to my usual work - if you’re after smut I’m afraid this fic is the first of mine that won’t fit the bill! It’s also pretty true to form in that if you’re after angst, I am not your girl. ;)
> 
> This is written in its entirety, and will be posted twice a week on Sundays and Wednesdays!
> 
> Come find me on Twitter @StaceyE706

_Dear Mr Santa Claus,_

_I hope you are having a very nice year and all of your reindeer are feeling good and ready to fly on Christmas Eve._

_I'm sorry that I didn’t send you a letter before. My sister says I sent one when I was 3 when Mama was still here but I'm 8 now and I don't remember that. My sister is 14 so she remembers. I'm not supposed to send you a letter because my Daddy doesn't really like Christmas because he says it's when Mama left us, so we don't have real Christmas here._

_You can't tell anyone because I'll get in lots of trouble and I hope this doesn't put me on the naughty list, but I watch all of the holiday movies when Daddy is out really late at Shorty’s. Real Christmas always looks so good in the movies. It looks like magic. And in a real Christmas the children always send you a letter and I really want a real Christmas._

_I know children normally ask you for toys but I don't really want toys. Maybe instead you can help me have a real Christmas like Chrissy Nedley and Stephanie Jones always have?_

_These are the things I would really want to have to make a real Christmas._

_1- An advent calendar. You can get ones with all these doors and they have little sweets or a picture behind them. For every day until Christmas._

_2- To cut down a nice big green Christmas tree at Holliday's Farm and put lots of decorations on it and a big smiling angel on the top._

_3- To come and visit you at the grotto. Stephanie Jones goes every year and she says you smell funny but Stephanie smells like cheese all the time so don't worry about that._

_4- To have a big light display on my house like Chrissy Nedley always has. She has big reindeer and a sleigh and lots of other things. Mr Nedley says it's like paying for the electricity bill for all of Manhattan. I don't know if that's a lot but that's in America so I guess it must be a big amount. Mine doesn't need to be that big. Maybe just like Purgatory not like Manhattan._

_5- To go and ice skate on the pond in the town. It looks like lots of fun but there are always lots of bigger kids and they are really fast and I don't have anyone to hold my hand in case I fall. I wish it could be empty for a little bit so I can try. I would need skates though so they have to go on my list too._

_6- To make a proper holiday card like the ones that my friends at school send every year. They always wear silly sweaters and you can see their tree or their fireplace. I want to be able to send a card back this year. Maybe I need a silly sweater too?_

_7- To sit around the table like a real family and have a Christmas dinner. Chrissy Nedley always has leftover turkey in her sandwiches when I go to play after Christmas and she shows me pictures of the dinner and everyone looks so happy and the food looks so tasty._

_My last thing that I wish for is a little bit icky because boys are annoying and I don't really like any of them in my school. But the movies always say that the true meaning of Christmas is about love and so if I'm gonna have a real Christmas then I need to fall in love. Proper love, not like when I hold hands with Megan Wilson at playtime._

_So that's my number 8._

_8- To fall in love._

_I don't know if you can bring me any of those things because I don't think you can put them in your sack. Maybe the calendar or the sweater or the ice skates?_

_Daddy isn't going to let me post this letter in the post box but Stephanie Jones says that if I put it in a fire then it will get to you by magic. I don't have a fire that works so I'm going to try and put it in the vent. Stephanie says that won't work but Chrissy Nedley says it might. I hope it does._

_Have a very safe trip on Christmas Eve._

_Lots of love,_

_Waverly Earp._

_Age 8._

Nicole crossed her legs beneath her as she settled herself on the dusty floor. She leaned back against the wall as she let deep mocha eyes roam the handwritten words across the page. The room around her was littered with sheets and tools, and a thick layer of dust coated everything in it. Sawdust muddied Nicole’s own flushed cheeks and her red hair, streaks of paint splattered across her clothes. The air was filled with the whirring sounds of planers and sanders as Nicole's employees worked to renovate the home they had been hired to restore, but she had tuned it all out the moment she had pulled the rusted grate from the air vent, and stumbled across the neatly addressed envelope tucked away inside it. She smiled softly as she traced her fingers over the looping letters of the handwriting, neat and meticulous despite their hand’s young years. 

The small voice across the age-stiffened page was so _pure_. The little girl’s innocence stood out in a stark contrast to the shattered glass, the heavily marked walls, the thick air and the smell of damp that surrounded the old house that the letter lay in. Something in the words had gripped and tugged in Nicole’s chest immediately; something in the way that little Waverly Earp had written so unassumingly, and the way that she just seemed to seek childlike wonder and a spark of magic in whatever pockets of light she could find it. In the darkness of this old home, Waverly Earp seemed a ray of sunshine. Her _own_ little spark of magic. 

Nicole smiled wistfully as she folded the letter along the crisp, embedded lines, tucking it back into the envelope beneath the neatly scribed address.

 _Mr Santa Claus_ _  
__Santa’s Workshop_   
_The North Pole_   
_Lapland_

She couldn’t help but grin, her mind sentimentally embellishing the image of this smart, adorable little girl pushing her letter into the air vent, her fingers crossed tight as she prayed that it would reach its destination. 

Waverly Earp, Age 8.

Nicole cast her mind back over the briefing she had been given when Wynonna Earp had hired her, Robin and Dolls for this project. To restore the family home. Make it feel new. Wynonna was the only member of the family she had met but she knew that the Earps hadn't lived here for some time, so she was all too aware that whoever Waverly was, she was very probably no longer aged eight. Though just _how_ long the dirt smeared envelope had sat in the air vent of the old house, she didn’t like to hazard a guess.

Nicole _really_ hoped that little Waverly found every single thing that she wanted that year. And every year since, in fact. Christmas was supposed to be _joy._ It was supposed to be magic, and escape, and just like little Waverly Earp's movies had told her, it was supposed to be _love_. In any form.

“Uh... Haught?” 

Wynonna’s voice burst through Nicole’s thoughts and she snapped her gaze up. Her brows immediately furrowed at the sight of her client stood before her, sheepishly holding a grimy, glazed window pane, the splintered wooden frame still intact around it. 

Nicole blinked.

“I'm no expert, but...” Wynonna raised an eyebrow. “Pretty sure these aren’t meant to come out when you open the window, right?”

 _“Jesus...”_

Nicole sighed, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands as she leaned her head back against the wall. This house truly was in utter shambles. 

“I’ll board it up 'til the new windows come next week. Just...” She shook her head with a grin. “Touch fewer things. This house is hazardous enough _without_ hurricane Wynonna.”

Nicole chuckled, dragging herself to her feet as the brunette scowled. She couldn’t help but be increasingly appreciative of the quick, easy friendship that had grown between the two of them over the past month or so of working for the brunette. The house was a mess, and there was a _lot_ of work to do, and the fact that she had such a good rapport with the homeowner made the whole job feel a lot less stressful. Plus, with Wynonna’s brazen, blunt and no frills attitude, it was much easier to get decisions made and things moved forward than Nicole was used to. 

“Hey, you lived here before, right?” Nicole flicked her eyes to the envelope gripped between her fingers as Wynonna turned to place the window gingerly down against the wall behind her.

The brunette turned, studying the dust and grime that coated the tips of her fingers from the ancient window pane.

 _“Dude…”_ Nicole sputtered, recoiling as Wynonna wiped her fingers over the front of the redhead’s overalls. _“Must_ you?”

“Yes.” Wynonna smirked. “And yeah, it’s my childhood home. Why?”

Nicole shrugged, holding the letter out toward her client. The brunette stared blankly at it for a long moment, before her eyes flicked back to Nicole’s, her eyebrows raised quizzically as she reached out to take it.

“You writing me love letters, Haught?” 

Nicole rolled her eyes, shaking her head in amusement.

 _“No.”_ She grinned. “If I _wanted_ to seduce you, I would know better than to do it with poetic words, Earp.” 

Wynonna smirked, her arms folding across her chest and the letter momentarily forgotten as she eyed her friend expectantly. Nicole quirked an eyebrow, biting back her amusement as she shrugged nonchalantly.

“I’d ply you with alcohol and classic rock songs in the back of my pickup.” She grinned.

Wynonna gasped, her eyes wide as she clutched the envelope to her chest, and Nicole fought against the urge to wince as the dusty paper creased beneath the brunette’s clumsy fingers. 

“You know me _so_ well.” Wynonna grinned. “Are you _sure_ you’re not trying to…”

“Just _read_ the letter!” Nicole cut her off, huffing out a laugh as she gestured toward the envelope.

The air fell quiet, the sounds of the planers and sanders muting once more as Nicole watched her client's eyes roam the page. She swallowed, dropping her eyes to the floor as something in Wynonna’s piercing blue gaze flashed; something wistful that tugged guilt through the redhead’s chest. Maybe she should have left Wynonna alone to read this. Maybe the memories were better pulled in private. It felt too late to retreat now, and Nicole shuffled her feet awkwardly as she tried to shrink her presence down; to at least provide the illusion of privacy.

The soft sound of a watery chuckle pulled her eyes back to Wynonna’s face, and the corners of her lips curled into a smile at the soft amusement in blue eyes.

"Was it in the vent?" Wynonna quirked an eyebrow, her voice softer than usual.

Nicole nodded.

"Well definitely _don't_ tell Stephanie Jones." The brunette grinned. "The last thing that sour gouda needs is another reason to think she's better than everyone else." 

Wynonna chuckled, shaking her head. Her words carried their usual tease, but there was something unmistakably earnest in the gleam of her eyes and the curl of her lips as she let her gaze roam the letter once more, before beginning to fold it back along the worn lines. Nicole held her breath as Wynonna exhaled slowly.

"I’m pretty sure Waves didn’t get _anything_ she asked for that year. _Or_ any year since, realistically."

Nicole's breath left her lungs in a sharp exhale, her chest tightening as the words took their hold. The unexpected reaction almost felt physical; twisting in her gut and rippling up until it pooled in a lump that formed inexplicably in her throat. 

She _didn't?_

_No_ magic?

 _"None of it?”_

Nicole blushed, the hoarse break in her voice betraying the visceral reaction that had gripped so unnecessarily in her heart, and she winced as Wynonna’s brows furrowed slightly in confusion. She cleared her throat, dropping her eyes to the letter with a nod. 

“W-who is Waverly?” She felt the blush across her cheeks grow deeper as she stumbled over her words, piercing blue eyes searching her face in question. 

"My sister…" Wynonna’s eyes flashed protectively as she studied Nicole’s flushed cheeks. “She’s the one who’ll be living here with me. You’re stood in her bedroom.”

The redhead swallowed slowly. She knew why this was impacting her so much. Knew _exactly_ why the visions that filled her head of little Waverly Earp's disappointment tugged so hard in her chest, blurred edges tangling and merging with the memories of her own past. But _that_ was definitely not something that she felt ready to explain to Wynonna just yet, if ever, and so she really needed to pull herself together before she made herself look like some kind of _complete_ creeper.

“C-can’t you just take her to the grotto _this_ year?"

Wynonna barked a laugh, shaking her head as she shoved the letter back into Nicole’s chest, the redhead fumbling to take it before it dropped to the floor.

“That letter is _seventeen_ years old, Haught! Waverly is twenty-five."

"Oh…" 

_Jesus._

She’d known it would be a few years, but that was _definitely_ not what she’d been expecting. 

"Wait, so... no grotto? In _seventeen_ years?" Nicole’s eyes widened, her blush forgotten in her shock. "Not even an _advent calendar?"_

Wynonna shook her head.

"Waves hasn't really done Christmas in a _long_ time, Haught. In fact..." she smirked, "she hasn’t _done_ _anything_ in a long time…"

The brunette grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she twisted her hands into a series of highly explicit gestures that drew an immediate wince from an increasingly uncomfortable Nicole. 

"If you catch my dri…”

 _“Yep.”_ Nicole felt the strain in her own voice before she heard it, cutting Wynonna off as quickly as possible in a desperate effort to end the obscene hand gestures.

She slammed her eyes shut, inhaling deeply as Wynonna’s laugh rang in her ears. Despite the news that Waverly was, in fact, only three years younger than she was, Nicole still couldn't shake that blurred image of an innocent little girl, and so the crude change of direction was _all kinds_ of distressing, and she really did not have the faculties to cope with it. She took a deep breath, opening her eyes slowly as Wynonna continued, seemingly oblivious to Nicole’s inner turmoil.

“Telling you, Babygirl _really_ needs to work less. She’s _all_ study and _all_ work, and she never takes a moment for herself.” Wynonna’s voice softened, that wistful glaze passing through them once more as she shrugged softly. _“Especially_ at Christmas.”

Nicole clenched her fists. She was beginning to feel a little nauseous, and that in itself was beyond ridiculous. She didn't _know_ Waverly Earp; had no idea who the woman was, and yet the regret that pulled in her chest when she thought about the little girl behind that letter was strong enough to make one believe they had been her own looping words. It hurt; the fact that not only did little Waverly not get her real Christmas, but that it had had such an impact that she didn't even chase the magic anymore. _Everyone_ should get to feel the magic of Christmas. She swallowed thickly, the lump in her throat refusing to budge.

Wynonna shrugged, her attention turned to her phone screen as she pulled it from her pocket.

"Haught, join me for drinks tonight?" 

"Dude, it's Wednesday and I have to be here at the ass crack of dawn tomorrow.” Nicole shook her head. "Ask me again at the weekend."

"You're working your ass off on this house, and you need a break," Wynonna argued as Nicole grumbled wordlessly. "Maybe _you_ should take Waverly to the fucking grotto."

Nicole rolled her eyes.

"I'm working my ass off cause _someone_ gave me a New Year's deadline so they can host a party!" She raised her eyebrows, her tone only slightly teasing.

" _Which_ I invited you to! It's in your own interest!" Wynonna shot back, rolling her eyes as Nicole fixed her with a stern look. _"Fine._ Spoilsport."

Nicole bit back a smirk as the brunette leaned in, murmuring just loud enough for her to hear.

"The sexy one in the tool belt…" Wynonna nodded her head, and Nicole followed her eyeline to Dolls, working on the walls behind them. "Single?" 

"Yep." Nicole grinned. 

"Good to know." Wynonna smirked, patting Nicole on the back. "See you tomorrow!"

❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅🎄❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅

Nicole sighed as she closed the door behind her, her shoulders instantly dropping in the calm and the quiet of her own home. She knew she ought to get showered and make herself some food before she lost the evening entirely, but her head still swam with the events of her day and she needed to blow off a little steam.

Try as she might, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about Waverly Earp and her 'Real Christmas'. The one she had never had. Nicole _loved_ Christmas. Her own childhood hadn't been all that different from the one she had read between the looping lines of Waverly’s handwriting, and yet Christmas had always been the happiest of any of her days. The holidays were the one time of year when Nicole would pack her bags with her few belongings, and sit excitedly on the train that would carry her away from her home. Away from the parents who didn't show her the care a child should be shown, and into the arms of her loving Grandmother, and every one of the festive memories filled her heart with burning warmth even now. It was, and had always been, Nicole's escape. Her slither of magic in her own dark world, and she hated that little Waverly Earp hadn't found her light in the same joy. Add to that the fact that Waverly Earp didn't _'do Christmas'_ now, after the heartfelt excitement in her young words, frankly broke Nicole’s heart. Just to imagine the disappointment that must have led to that. Year after year.

Nicole flung her things down on the couch, not even bothering to turn on the lights before heading out of the back door and making the short trudge down the garden path toward her workshop. She had searched countless property ads before moving to this town, knowing that she could never settle anywhere without the space to set up her tiny escape, and she had struck gold when she had found this place. The small building was stone, tucked away between the trees and the plants that lined the edges of the garden, and Nicole thought of it always as her haven. A large, heavy worktop sat in the centre of the room, various tools set in their place around it. Piles of wood of all kinds lay against the base of the walls, covered loosely in tarpaulin to protect them from the bitter winter elements. Shelves lined the walls inside, each bursting to the brim with wooden ornaments and statues and carvings, all delicately formed in painstaking hours under Nicole’s careful hands. 

One particular shelf was different. Standing apart from all the others in its position and its contents, the low shelf sported an array of small Christmas decorations, each holding a part of Nicole’s youth; a part of the holidays spent on the coast with her Grandmother. Nicole smiled, her fingers dusting over the array of wooden trees, and snowmen, and hanging baubles of varying size and skill. She had been just six when her Grandma had first taught her how to whittle a bauble from a piece of dried driftwood, and she could still recall the sense of pride that had filled her chest as she had hung it, painted and glossed, onto the Christmas tree for the very first time. As Nicole had grown, so had her love for the craft, and she had begun to push her skill into other forms of woodwork. If she was honest, she couldn’t deny that she still felt the same warmth through her chest each year that she hung her latest creation on her tree, or her door, or her mantle.

She wanted more than anything for Waverly Earp to have her Real Christmas. She really did. Even now. Even at twenty-five, Waverly Earp deserved to feel the joy and the magic and the love that _everyone_ should feel at Christmas.

Was that weird?

Was it weird to feel this impassioned? To feel _this_ driven for someone she had never met to feel the same warm feeling that seeped through Nicole’s own bones when the bells chimed and the lights flickered and the air filled with the scent of roasting chestnuts?

It was a joy that Nicole knew had saved her own life, and _maybe_ she was projecting. 

Maybe. 

But all that she wanted was for the sweet little girl behind those smart little words to know the same joy.

Nicole grinned as she let her eyes and her fingers trace the many festive carvings that lined the shelves; angels and light-peppered houses, and painted reindeer and delicately carved Santas.

There was _one_ simple wish on that little list that she definitely _could_ grant for Waverly Earp. 

She settled herself at her workbench, pulling up one of her more recent projects. She had intended to sell the item, but this gave it _far_ more purpose. The square advent calendar was smooth, with intricately detailed patterns and numbers pyrographed into each of the little drawers. Tiny wooden handles lined the tops of each drawer, revealing, when pulled, a miniature wooden tree decoration and a little chocolate coin. 

Nicole pulled her protective goggles over her face, positioning the calendar carefully in her vice as she set to work carving the name delicately into the soft wood centre.

_Waverly._


	2. Saint Nic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the amazing response to the first chapter of this fic. Every person who hits that kudos button or comments or tweets about my writing makes it so easy to give this stuff my time!
> 
> Much love, and happy Wednesday!

“Little _fucker.”_

Nicole grunted, her head buried beneath the homestead’s kitchen sink. Her wrist strained against the flimsy wrench as she fought in vain to budge the wretched, rusted valve. Why had she come under here with this shitty tool? She _knew_ she had a better one in her box in the hallway, but she was too irritated and right now she was feeling way too damn stubborn to stop for long enough to fetch it.

She was working alone today, having relented to her team’s pleas and given them the day off in lieu of the many hours of overtime they'd worked this past week in an effort to turn the house around for the New Year's deadline. Christmas, realistically, if the Earp’s were to move in and be ready for a party by New Year. Three and a half weeks from now was _not_ enough. Not for normal working hours, she _knew_ it wasn't, but Nicole Haught was nothing if not determined, and she would work her damn ass off to get as close as she possibly could to completion in the time that she had.

She would work hard for any job, of course. She was proud of her work and she never shied from a challenge, but she _cared_ more about this particular job. Felt more invested. Far more than she usually would, and she knew that that had everything to do with the Earps. Certainly with Wynonna, of whom she had grown far more fond than she would be willing to admit under torture; but also with Waverly. She was still yet to meet the youngest Earp, but the words of little Waverly’s letter still played over in Nicole’s mind even weeks later. The requests that seemed so simple, and yet to imagine a childhood without them just felt heartbreaking. 

_To sit around the table like a real family and have a Christmas dinner._

Silly, really. 

She knew _nothing_ about this girl, and yet the letter and its words had lit an unexpected drive in Nicole’s chest. Something that pushed her forward; spurred her to work harder than ever in the tiny hopes that she might just be able to give this girl _one_ more item on that unassuming little list. If she could have her home back in time for Christmas, then maybe she could have her real family dinner.

Nicole still had the first item to cross off. The advent calendar bearing Waverly’s name remained tucked away in her workshop at home, and with the first of December just a day away, Nicole was growing jittery waiting for the right opportunity to present it to her.

How does one present a _named_ gift to a _complete_ stranger, along with an age old list of memories that may or not mean something to her? 

She was definitely running the risk of looking like she’d lost her mind.

Wynonna had mentioned that Waverly worked at Shorty’s, and Nicole had been hoping she could take it to her there after she had finished working for the day. That would be okay, right? She could just introduce herself, give her the letter and the calendar, and then leave immediately before any embarrassment could occur. 

Job done.

Easy.

Nicole was vaguely aware of the familiar sound of tyres on the gravel outside as her worn wrench pulled at flakes of the rusted pipes, covering her face in tiny specks of copper dust. She was well accustomed to Wynonna coming in and out of the house by now, although she hadn’t expected her today. She grunted again, forcing all of her strength behind the wrench as the sound of the car door thumped, and footsteps climbed the porch steps to the front door.

At least Wynonna could bring her the right damn tool. Maybe put the kettle on, if she was feeling _particularly_ kind.

"In here, Earp!" Nicole shouted out as the front door clicked closed. "Can you bring the pipe wrench on the side in please, dude?"

Silence. 

Nicole smirked, imagining Wynonna’s furrowed brows as she peered hopelessly into the busy toolbox.

"It's the big red thing that looks like a torture clamp." She raised an eyebrow, listening carefully to the clink and shuffle of her tools being shifted.

Another moment of quiet; a hesitation, and then the footsteps continued through the house. They seemed... _lighter_ than Nicole had become accustomed to. Less thumping, less abrasive. _Far_ more cautious. Nicole stilled.

"Not sure I'm the Earp you were expecting, but I brought fresh lemon scones!"

Nicole started, the sound of the soft, unfamiliar voice seemingly ridding her of _any_ spatial awareness as she attempted to jump up, cracking her forehead straight into the pipe she'd spent the last fifteen minutes battling with.

"Oh my _god,_ I'm _so_ sorry!" 

The soft voice continued, panic laced through it as Nicole rubbed her forehead, her eyes slammed shut in pain as she scrambled out from beneath the sink.

"I didn't mean to scare you! I didn't think to call ahead, I'm sorry, I just wanted to see the house now that it’s not a danger zone and I…" 

_Wait._

Not the _Earp_ she was expecting?

"... just thought I'd call in on my way to work because Wynonna said you'd be here and…"

Nicole forced her eyes open, pressing her fingers hard against her head in a fruitless effort to stem the blurry stars that swam in her eyes. _Jesus_ , that had hurt.

But, more importantly…

"... I promise I wasn't trying to sneak up on you."

The brunette stood before her was smaller than Wynonna; softer in the eyes, even through the concern that clearly laced them now. Even so, the family resemblance was clear in the defined cheekbones, the waves of thick hair, and the spark of fire in brightly burning eyes. 

Holy _shit._

 _This_ was Waverly Earp?

"Is your head okay?" The brunette spoke softly, wincing slightly in anxiety as she took a hesitant step toward Nicole. 

She was, and there were really no two ways about this, _breathtakingly_ beautiful. Even a person who was _not_ a gay mess could see that this woman was gorgeous. And Nicole was _definitely_ a gay mess. She swallowed thickly, panic rising unexpectedly in her chest. She had known Waverly was an adult, but the knowledge had never really set in. And if _this_ was Waverly Earp, then suddenly every thought that she had had until now had a _very_ different feel. In the place of her visions of sweet little eight year old Waverly, was now a stunningly beautiful woman whose mere presence was making Nicole’s palms sweat, her stomach spin and her pulse beat in her throat in a way that she couldn't ever remember feeling before. 

She was all too aware, in the very forefront of her mind, that approaching Waverly with a calendar and a fumbling explanation about a seventeen year old letter suddenly seemed _completely_ out of the question. 

"Please say something, are-are you concussed?" The brunette’s eyes widened as she took another step closer, her hand hovering uncertainly over Nicole’s forehead, as if she were afraid to cause more damage should she touch her.

Hazel eyes flashed with fear and concern as they searched Nicole’s face. Eyes that drew the redhead in effortlessly. That seemed to change colour in the glint of the sun through the window; specks of green and blue amongst the soft brown. Nicole blinked, embarrassingly aware that she had simply stared, her hand still clutched to her throbbing forehead, for _far_ longer than any functioning human should have. She shook her head, wincing immediately as the movement seared in her newly forming bruise.

"No! No sorry, I-I'm fine." 

Nicole smiled softly, thankful for the steadier sound to her voice than she had expected, and the brunette breathed an audible sigh of relief. 

"I'm absolutely fine, you just startled me. I thought you were… you're not what I was expecting. _Who_ I was expecting..." 

Nicole winced at her own words and the fumbling stutters, cursing her cheeks for the blush that she could feel heat them. The brunette smiled softly, hazel eyes sparkling as her concern ebbed away.

"I'm Nicole." The redhead beamed, giving her best winning smile as she finally managed to pull her shit together. She wiped her rust-covered hand on the fabric of her overalls before extending it to the brunette. "Nicole Haught."

"Waverly Earp." The brunette grinned, her hand closing firmly around Nicole’s as she returned the greeting. 

There it was.

She'd known the moment she met the fire in those eyes, but the confirmation still flipped Nicole’s stomach. 

"You know what I hear is a _really_ great cure for a fright and a potential concussion?" Waverly shrugged apologetically, her lips curling into the sweetest smile Nicole had ever seen. 

She reached behind her, picking a paper bag up from the dusty kitchen counter and raising it up between them with a flourish. 

"Lemon scones and strong coffee!"

Nicole couldn't stop the wide grin that tugged at her dimples.

 _"Wow_ , that took you less than _two_ minutes to become my favourite Earp." Nicole grinned, placing her tools down carefully and wiping her hands fully on her grease cloth. "Even with the concussion!"

Waverly chuckled, and Nicole felt her stomach flip yet again at the light blush that tinted the brunette’s cheeks. 

_God._

Waverly Earp had given her butterflies twice in less than a minute just because she was both gorgeous and adorable, and Nicole was suddenly incredibly conscious of the _state_ of her own hair and her clothes and the room around them. She wiped her hands quickly over the front of her overalls, as if the brush of her grease-covered fingers could do even the _first_ thing to remove the paint stains and the wax marks from the scuffed material.

She flitted her eyes around the room, searching for the cleanest dust sheets she could find, and the whereabouts of the camp chairs her team had been using for tea breaks. She quickly pulled them together, gesturing toward them almost apologetically as she spoke.

“Please, have a seat.” She scrunched her nose up, chuckling softly. “I'm sorry it’s not the _nicest_ place you’ll ever eat.”

Waverly dismissed the apology immediately with a delicate wave of her hand, her smile almost shy as she sat herself back into a hastily wiped down chair. Nicole’s stomach was in overdrive, and she subconsciously laid her hand across it as if she could somehow calm the butterflies that swooped and swarmed as Waverly’s eyes met her own. 

_God,_ she really was gorgeous. 

Nicole couldn't help but think how _different_ Waverly seemed when compared with her older sister. The Earps may have had the same fire behind their eyes, but it burned so differently. Wynonna’s was heat; brash and bold, fierce and fiery strength. Waverly’s was warmth; passion and wisdom, perception and _quiet_ strength. Nicole was entranced.

Waverly smiled warmly as she pulled the contents from her bag, handing Nicole a paper-wrapped scone and a flask.

"I hope it's okay. It’s black with no sugar but Wy said there was stuff in the kitchen, so if you like it another way then I can go grab…"

"This is perfect." Nicole grinned, halting the brunette’s nervous ramblings. "Milk and sugar is for hot chocolate. And eggnog."

Waverly laughed, and Nicole cursed her body once again as the sound travelled down her spine, pulling goosebumps over her skin. 

How was that even possible? To get fucking _goosebumps_ over someone's _laugh?_

Nicole blushed. She took a long sip of her coffee. The liquid burned far too hot in her throat, but she persevered, her flustered body needing the distraction. 

"Sorry to ambush you." Waverly picked at her scone almost nervously as her eyes fixed on Nicole’s. "Wy said you were here alone today, so I thought it might be the best time to come and see how things were going. Thought I'd be less in the way with fewer people working."

"You could _never_ be in the way." 

Nicole’s ears burned red as the words left her mouth. 

Well, _that_ was unnecessarily intense. 

Her immediate need to reassure was clearly working faster than her brain could keep up with, and _God,_ she needed to get a grip. She huffed out an abashed laugh as Waverly’s eyebrows raised in surprise, and the brunette chuckled softly.

"I-I just mean… it _is_ your house." Nicole grinned. "Come anytime you like, you're always welcome." 

There was a moment of shy quiet as both sipped at their flasks and picked at their scones. The slight nerves of a first meeting with someone new were still clear in the air, but there was also something easy that settled quickly between them. Something _familiar,_ almost, that made Nicole’s chest feel warmer. She shook her head, desperate to clear her useless gay thoughts before she said or did something stupid and terrified the poor girl.

She needed safe territory; a common ground. And luckily, she had a very obvious one.

"You want me to show you around?"

Nicole grinned as Waverly nodded enthusiastically, her eyes crinkling with a wide smile. She led the brunette slowly around the house, explaining anything that she wanted to know, and mapping out the plans for the completed refurbishment. Waverly’s excitement and energy was infectious, though Nicole couldn't help but notice times when she seemed to catch herself. Seemed to rein herself back for a few minutes, until Nicole would push on and her enthusiasm would return in full force. Waverly Earp was a sweetheart, and she made Nicole laugh more in twenty minutes than she could remember anyone doing in a _long_ time.

 _Definitely_ her favourite Earp. 

"Nicole, this is looking _so_ incredible," Waverly gushed as they made their way back to the kitchen. "I can't believe how fast you're managing to turn this around."

"Well, my team are _really_ great." Nicole shrugged, despite the blush that flushed her cheeks at the compliment. "And Wynonna laid it on pretty thick that it needs to be ready for New Year."

"Ah yes, the party. I'm under strict instructions to be there." Waverly grinned, her eyebrows wriggling in a knowing fashion. She dropped her gaze, her voice a little softer as she spoke again. "I hope you will be? I mean unless you have plans. Other plans. With family, or friends. Or a boyfriend. Or-or a girlfriend. Anyone."

_Well._

That sounded promising...

"No, no plans. I'll be there." Nicole grinned, her confidence surging at the stumbled words and the flustered look on the brunette’s face. "Wouldn't miss it."

Waverly nodded, her smile reaching sparkling eyes. She held Nicole’s gaze for a moment longer before dropping it to her wrist, her smile faltering slightly as she read the numbers on her watch.

"Fudgenuggets, I have to go. I have my shift at Shorty’s, but erm…" She smiled softly, her eyes earnest as she extended her hand toward the redhead once more. "Thank you for showing me the house, Nicole. I'll see you around?"

"Yeah…" Nicole beamed, grasping Waverly’s hand firmly in her own. "Yeah you will."

As the crunch of tyres over gravel faded from Nicole’s consciousness, she let out a shaky exhale, her mind swimming. Little Waverly Earp clearly wasn't a child anymore. 

_Far_ from it. 

She was a sweet, clearly very bright, very strong _woman_ , and Nicole suddenly _hated_ the idea of bringing that dusty letter and its hidden darkness back into the brunette's life. Now that Nicole had met Waverly; had seen the smallest slither of the brunette's magic, she _really_ wanted the chance to get to know the younger Earp. Waverly’s stumbling words about the party had made that feel at least somewhat mutual, and the possibility was too strong that handing her the letter now would make everything feel too forced.

To be handed something like that by a stranger with no expectation was one thing, but someone you're just getting to know?

The last thing that Nicole wanted to do was to make Waverly feel obliged to explain her past. To talk earlier in their budding new friendship than she would choose to otherwise. That just wasn't a pressure or an expectation that Nicole could even begin to consider placing on the brunette. 

She would still give her the calendar, but maybe just anonymously. She knew she could do the same with the letter, but something told her that should come from her. With a confession that she had read the contents.

That would come when Waverly was ready.

❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅🎄❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅

_I really can't stay…_

_"Baby, it's cold outside."_

Nicole sang along to the song as it played on the radio. She hooked her knees tightly under the rung of the ladder as she slid the plastering trowel carefully over the wall, ironing the chalky mix out across the sanded material.

_I've got to go away…_

_"Let me call you a ride."_

Nicole raised her voice, hellbent on drowning out the words she hated so much with her own alterations. The feminist in her _despised_ this song. Hated even more, that the overexcited child in her still associated it with happy memories and holiday spirit.

_This evening has been…_

_"Please drop me a text when you get in."_

They really should only play updated, _less_ revolting versions of this…

It was Saturday, and subsequently the second day in a row that Nicole was working alone in the Earp homestead. She had arrived with the dawn, and was feeling very pleased with the amount that she had managed to achieve in the morning. The living room and the kitchen looked like a different place with the fresh plaster on the walls, and it somehow felt cleaner and lighter throughout. 

_My mother will start to worry…_

_"Please call her so she knows that you're coming."_

"Wow, _what_ a turnaround in a day!" 

Nicole jumped, her heart leaping into her mouth as she dropped the trowel, gripping the ladder just in time to stabilise herself as she wobbled precariously. 

_Jesus._

She turned slowly, her pulse still racing. She shook her head in amusement as her wide eyes landed on a very sheepish looking Waverly Earp. 

_"You,"_ she chuckled, trying desperately to hide her shock and her embarrassment as she climbed down from the ladder, "need to wear a bell!" 

Waverly laughed, and the sound set the butterflies soaring instantly in Nicole’s stomach.

"Well, you knew _someone_ was here yesterday and that didn't stop you knocking yourself out, so I thought I'd try stealth mode." Waverly grinned.

Nicole chuckled, her cheeks tinting red at the memory. She wiped her hands on her overalls, taking a step toward the brunette. 

"To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I brought lunch." Waverly grinned, her eyes almost sheepish as she held a cool bag out in her hands. "Is now a good time? I hate to interrupt this _very_ PC festive showdown."

 _"Well,_ I could always be Tom and you could be Cerys?" Nicole laughed, wriggling her eyebrows playfully.

"You got the hips to be Tom?" 

Waverly quirked an eyebrow, and Nicole felt her stomach clench at the mischievous look in hazel eyes. 

"I think I could hold my own." She winked. "Plus my lyrics are much better. Consent is damn _sexy,_ Waverly Earp."

Waverly giggled, and Nicole’s heart hammered _completely_ unnecessarily in her chest. God, this woman was adorable. 

The brunette’s eyes flashed, her lips twitching as if a retort lay on the tip of her tongue. She seemed to think against it, instead raising her eyebrows and holding up the cool bag in a questioning gesture. Nicole grinned, setting about pulling up the same camp chairs into the centre of the room. She couldn’t deny that she was beyond pleased to see Waverly again so soon, but she couldn’t help but be slightly baffled by the brunette’s appearance again today.

Seemingly just to see her?

Nicole’s heart thudded impossibly harder in her chest at the thought, as she took a seat beside Waverly.

"I got sandwiches. I didn't know what you liked, so I got four different types so that you could choose."

Nicole’s chest warmed, and her dimpled grin spread instinctively across her face.

"Has anyone ever told you you're adorable, Earp?"

The words were out before Nicole could stop them, and she immediately kicked herself for the inappropriate slip.

She held her breath, willing the words to disappear into the ether without ever hitting Waverly’s ears, but the deep red blush across the brunette’s cheeks told her it was far too late for that hope. Waverly’s lips curled into a bashful smile, and she dropped her gaze to the floor for a moment, before sparkling eyes met Nicole’s once more.

“Anyone ever told _you_ you’re a charmer?” Waverly grinned, her blush still burning across her cheeks despite the playful tone to her voice.

Nicole exhaled slowly, huffing out a laugh.

“Only the ones I charm.” 

She smirked as Waverly shook her head with a chuckle.

"And er… you said milk and sugar is for hot chocolate, right?" Waverly pursed her lips as she produced a large flask and two small plastic mugs from the bag. "It's oat milk and it's just instant, but…"

"I am a hot chocolate fiend, all and any will do." Nicole grinned, accepting the mug gratefully. "Although, you have not _lived_ until you've tried mine. It's practically famous."

Waverly smirked, her eyebrow quirking once more in that playful way. She brought her mug to her lips, her eyes fixed on Nicole's as she spoke.

"Next time."

Nicole beamed. That same familiar feeling coursed through her once more in Waverly’s presence. It was so _easy_ to be around the brunette, despite the acrobats in her stomach and the slightly higher temperature of the blood beneath her skin. The conversation flowed so readily between them, and Nicole found herself hooked on every word that Waverly uttered 

She knew it was _very_ unlikely that her poor, gay-as-all-hell heart was getting away from this rapidly forming crush unscathed, but quite honestly, she really wasn't all too sure she cared at this point.

❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅🎄❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅

The bar was reasonably busy as Nicole pushed her way through the saloon doors, a canvas bag tucked carefully under her arm containing the wooden calendar.

The plan was simple. She knew Waverly wasn't working tonight, so she would slip the calendar behind the bar where the brunette could easily find it, and slip away in the distraction of the small crowds of patrons. Stealth.

Waverly would know the gift was for her. Her name was carved into the centre, and the first drawer had a little tag tied around its handle.

 _Merry Christmas, Waverly Earp._ _  
__I hope this year it’s the one you’ve always wanted._

Unsigned, of course.

Nicole picked her way carefully toward the bar, her eyes scanning the shelving behind it for the most appropriate place to prop the calendar. She slipped quietly past the patrons propping up the heavy oak, and rested her gift gently in the safest place she could find, beneath various plaques and framed newspaper articles hanging from the back wall.

She exhaled slowly. _Stealth._ Job done.

"Oi, Haught!"

Nicole’s blood ran cold, her heart lurching into her throat as Wynonna’s familiar brash voice jolted into her awareness. _Please_ don’t let her have seen that. She took a deep breath, clenching her fists in an effort to control her rising panic as she turned to face her client.

"Hey, Earp!" She grinned, shaking her head at Wynonna’s frantic waving.

"Get a drink in and join us?"

_Us?_

Nicole let her gaze drift, her grin softening as her eyes met Waverly’s. The brunette returned the shy smile, her eyes crinkling at the edges as she waved. Forget Wyonna, Nicole really hoped _Waverly_ hadn't seen the calendar. She knew it was silly, but she wanted it to remain anonymous. At least for now.

She took a moment to compose herself as she turned back to the bar to order her own drink, adding in a repeat round for the Earp sisters before heading over toward them.

“Haught, you are a fucking _hero.”_ Wynonna groaned in approval as she took the whiskey glass from Nicole’s hand. She lowered her voice slightly, her eyes finding the redhead’s as she nodded her head toward the bar. She smirked. "Saint Nic opened her sack, has she?" 

Wynonna threw an exaggerated wink and Nicole blushed.

So much for stealth.

She flitted her eyes immediately to Waverly, needing to assure herself that the brunette hadn’t heard her sister’s comment. She breathed a sigh of relief. Waverly was focused intently on the pool table, her brow furrowed in concentration as she effortlessly sank ball after ball.

She wondered briefly if Wynonna had already mentioned the letter, but the older Earp was talking again before she could travel too far down that thought train.

“You’re just in time, Waves is whooping my ass.” Wynonna smirked. “Maybe _you’ll_ be a better match.”

Nicole's blush deepened, the tips of her ears heating as Wynonna pushed the pool cue into her hands. There was something all too knowing in her tone that only added to Nicole’s embarrassment. It felt like Wynonna had her number _way_ too easily, and it unnerved and flustered her.

She opened her mouth to retort; to say something smart that would give her the upper hand, but before the words could form in her flustered brain, Waverly was stepping toward her and all hope of a witty retort was lost somewhere in the traitorous butterflies that swarmed yet _again_ in her stomach.

“Babygirl, Haught here is gonna give you a run for your money.” Wynonna clapped Nicole across the back as she spoke.

“Oh _really?”_ Waverly's voice was honey, but her eyes carried a playful tease. “You think you’re good enough to take on my unbeaten record?” 

_"Unbeaten,_ eh? Well, I’m a city girl with a misspent youth in gay bars.” Nicole gave her best dimpled grin, her stomach swooping at the flash of _something_ in hazel eyes at her words. She winked. “I’m gonna give it a damn good shot, Waverly Earp.” 

Nicole deliberately held Waverly’s playful gaze, her smile steadfast on her face as she moved to re-rack the table. Waverly's eyebrow raised and her lips pursed as she contemplated Nicole’s words. She nodded slowly.

“And _I_ am a small town girl living above a bar, Nicole Haught.” The brunette grinned. “And there is _not_ a lot to do around here.”

“Well then, maybe I’ve finally met my match.” Nicole winked playfully as she chalked her cue, before sliding the cube along the table's edge to the brunette.

Nicole leaned over the table, lining up her shot carefully as she drew back the cue. She gripped the end tight, flexing the muscles of her arm as she drove it forward, sending the white ball crashing into the triangle of stripes and spots. She bit her lip, her grin smug as two striped balls shot easily into opposite corners of the table, and Waverly’s eyebrows raised with a smirk.

She easily sank another ball, cursing as the cue ball pocketed behind it. 

“Looks like just _maybe_ you have.” Waverly smirked, nudging Nicole with her hip as she moved to take her place at the table.

Nicole watched, entranced, as Waverly leaned down to take her first shot, her brow furrowed once more as she lined up the cue. The first three balls sank in mere moments. 

There was something in the sparkle in hazel eyes tonight that made Nicole feel a little bolder; more brazen. She chuckled lowly, grasping the window for an opportunity that she would _definitely_ be a fool to miss. 

“Why don’t we make this a little more interesting, Earp?” 

Waverly’s eyes danced with amusement as they shot up to meet Nicole’s, and she pursed her lips once more as she studied the redhead’s face.

“You wanna put money on it?”

“Nope.” Nicole shook her head, grinning cheekily. “If _I_ win, you come help me pick out my Christmas tree tomorrow."

Waverly’s eyes creased, her nose wrinkling as she laughed openly, leaning on her cue slightly as she stood upright.

"And why would you need _me_ for that?" The brunette’s tone was teasing, though there was something in her eyes that rang just a little unsure. 

“You look like a woman of good taste.” Nicole grinned.

Waverly chuckled, shaking her head.

"I've never even _had_ a Christmas tree, Haught, I'm the _last_ person you need giving you festive decor advice."

Nicole bit back the grimace that threatened at the confirmation from Waverly’s own lips that she had never had her Real Christmas. Even though she had known, the words and the uncertain waver in the brunette’s voice still thumped heavy against her chest. She _really_ wanted to do this. Mainly because she wanted nothing more than the chance to spend more time with the youngest Earp, but also because if she could convince Waverly to share some of her own festive celebrations, then at least the brunette might get to experience just _some_ of the magic. 

_Maybe_ even enough to reignite that childhood spark.

"Well, then you'll be unbiased." Nicole bit her lip, working her best puppy dog eyes. _"Please,_ I’m new to the area, and doing these things alone is just _not_ what Christmas is about!” 

She pouted a little for good measure, then grinned as Waverly rolled her eyes good naturedly. 

"And you couldn't ask _me?"_

Wynonna’s outraged voice burst across the table, reminding Nicole with a jolt that she was not alone with Waverly this time. Nicole grinned mischievously, keeping her eyes trained on Waverly as she deliberately ignored the older Earp's outburst. 

“And since _you're_ my new favourite Earp, I figured it would be best if it was you.”

 _"Rude!"_ Wynonna scoffed. "Remember who's _paying_ you, Haught."

Nicole bit back her laughter, finally throwing her friend a glance as she shrugged nonchalantly. 

_"_ Since you're _such_ a charmer." Waverly shook her head in amusement, though the blush across her cheeks visibly reached her eyes. "Then you have a deal. And if _I_ win?" 

_Yes._

Nicole’s stomach swarmed, her anticipation gripping in her chest.

“Name your terms,” she challenged. 

Waverly hummed as she considered her options. The tip of her tongue gently teased the corners of her lips, and Nicole’s stomach betrayed her once more. Waverly’s grin grew wide as she seemed to land at her conclusion.

“If _I_ win…” she dragged her words out, her eyes glinting with the sparks of a playful fire. “You warm me up with that famous hot chocolate of yours after we pick out the tree."

Nicole beamed.

"Deal."

"That literally makes _no_ sense!" Wynonna scoffed. "It's the same no matter who wins, _what_ was the point in that?"

Nicole bit her cheek to hold back her giddy laughter as Waverly held her gaze, shrugging playfully. 

"Also I'm busy tomorrow guys, yeah, so don't bother asking me…" Wynonna rolled her eyes, and Waverly giggled.

"What’s so special about this hot chocolate, anyway?" Waverly leaned against the edge of the pool table, her tone teasing as she toyed with her whiskey glass.

Nicole grinned as she leaned down to the table, positioning her cue carefully. She drove through, clearing the last of the stripes from the table. She positioned her last shot, confident enough in its projection to turn away as the white ball collided with the black. 

"How about…"

She leaned against the table's edge, her eyes fixed on Waverly’s as the black ball hit against the corner cushion. Her smirk grew smug, and she bit down on her lower lip as she heard the ball thud into the pocket, winning her the game.

“I tell you tomorrow when we pick out my tree?”

Waverly shook her head, her eyes wide with disbelief, though they sparkled with clear amusement. She beamed, biting down on her own lip as she nodded.

Nicole couldn’t help the bubble of elation that burst in her chest. Maybe she really could do this. Maybe she _could_ give Waverly more than just an advent calendar to check off of her list. She cast her mind back over the words she had read so many times the past few weeks. The past few hours, if she was completely honest. 

_To cut down a nice big green Christmas tree at Holliday's Farm and put lots of decorations on it and a big smiling angel on the top._

Tomorrow, she would tick the second box on Waverly’s Real Christmas list.

Her mind was made up. Waverly Earp was something special. That spark of magic that she had injected into a tatty piece of paper seventeen years ago had never died, and she deserved nothing but happiness. Nicole wanted Waverly to get _everything_ on that age-old Christmas list, and she was fairly confident that she could tick at least six of the eight requests off before Christmas day came around, if Waverly would allow her. Seven, if she grafted _really_ hard on the homestead. 

She knew she couldn't achieve all eight. She wasn't _that_ cocky, and this was not a fucking Hallmark movie. She _knew_ she couldn't check off Waverly’s wish to fall in love, but that didn't seem to matter. She wanted the brunette to feel Christmas the way Christmas was _meant_ to be felt. The way it made Nicole feel. She would do everything that she could to make sure that this was the year that Waverly Earp found the magic.


	3. Winter’s Butterflies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's getting festive! 
> 
> Hope you've all got good dental plans...
> 
> Happy Sunday 😊

Waverly was already waiting outside the Shorty’s saloon doors when Nicole arrived. The redhead’s heart hammered in her chest as soon as she pulled up, nervous butterflies dancing in her stomach at the mere sight of the adorable brunette. 

Waverly’s cheeks were reddened in the cold air, her caramel waves cascading from beneath her white bobble hat, and spilling over a huge duffel coat that practically swamped her tiny frame. She beamed, waving a thick mittened hand enthusiastically as Nicole pulled to a stop. The redhead sighed, her chest warming at the entire aesthetic. 

She turned the ignition off out of habit, having every intention of jumping from the truck and rushing round to open the door for the brunette. She was _almost_ disappointed when Waverly bounced in beside her before she could even grasp the door handle. 

"Hey." Nicole grinned, her voice a little breathier than intended. 

She bit her cheek, silently reminding her flustered brain to take it easy; that this was _not_ a date, no matter how much of a gay mess she might be feeling.

"Hey, yourself." Waverly beamed, her eyes sparkling. "Ready to get your Kringle on?"

"My Kringle is never _off._ " 

Nicole grinned as she turned the key in the engine, letting the truck burst back to life. The stereo system kicked in immediately, filling the cab with the dulcet melodies of George Michael and Last Christmas.

Waverly giggled, her nose wrinkled.

"You really do _love_ Christmas, don't you." 

"Oh completely! The lights, the magic, the music, the _food."_ Nicole beamed cheekily, her eyes flicking between Waverly and the road as she pulled the truck out onto the grit-covered tarmac. "What's not to love?"

"I don't know, I guess I just…" Waverly trailed off, her nose still wrinkled. "I don't _not_ _like_ Christmas, I've just never really made a big deal of it. No-one around me ever has."

The words were casual. There was no waver of emotion, no flicker in hazel eyes. It was a simple statement, and that in itself was enough to tug Nicole’s heartstrings. It simply wouldn't do. Not when Nicole had seen the words in that letter. Not when the brunette’s foot was already tapping along lightly to the music. If no-one around Waverly had ever made a big deal of Christmas, then that was about to change.

"Until now, Waverly Earp." Nicole grinned. "Until now."

Nicole felt elated. She loved Christmas, and she loved the start of something magical that choosing her tree always symbolised, and this year she wasn't doing it alone. Not only was she not doing it _alone_ , she was doing it with the object of the biggest crush she'd ever had.

She shook her head, biting back her giddy grin as she turned the truck in the direction of the tree farm. God, she was fucked.

The festive spirit well and truly found her as she pushed the truck on through the snow lined roads, unashamedly belting out the lyrics to the Christmas classic as Waverly laughed openly beside her. She was all too aware that she was hitting _none_ of the notes, and barely any of the timing, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. She grinned, glancing at a giggling Waverly as the song faded out. 

"Haught, you are something else, you know that?" The brunette shook her head, her eyes shining with obvious amusement. 

Waverly turned to watch through the window as Nicole wound the truck out of the town and down the country roads that led to the farm. The snow felt thicker and deeper here where the grit and the passing of tyres was lesser. The song on the stereo shifted, the brass notes of Let it Snow trickling through the speakers.

Waverly chuckled.

“I’ll tell you what though, I _do_ love the snow,” she admitted, her voice soft. "It makes everything look so fresh, and so _clean._ I always feel like it doesn’t matter _who_ you are…” She turned back to Nicole, her lips curled in a playful grin. “You can be a hotshot CEO in a crisp pressed suit, or a traveller who’s seen the _whole_ world, or an eight year old schoolgirl daydreaming in class…” 

Nicole’s breath hitched in her chest as the brunette paused, visions of the little girl in the letter clearer now with the adult version beside her. Waverly huffed out a soft laugh as she continued. 

“You’ll _always_ get that little thrill of excitement when you see a blanket of untouched snow.”

“Oh _yeah,_ it's practically innate." Nicole grinned, nodding eagerly. "And you want nothing more than to run through it!”

 _"Right?"_ Waverly nodded, her eyes wide with enthusiasm.

Nicole chuckled.

“I’m right there with you. _Especially_ at night. There’s something so magical about looking out of your bedroom window in the dead of night and seeing the snow falling. Like it’s even more beautiful in the quiet.”

Nicole blushed as Waverly fell quiet. Even with her eyes on the road, she could see the brunette watching her softly. Something in the warmth of those eyes made her feel exposed, somehow. _Seen._ She swallowed hard.

"My grandma used to say freshly fallen snow reminds us that we're alive, even when everything around us stands still." Nicole pursed her lips, her brows creasing as she thought about the words. "Which somehow makes no sense and _all_ the sense at the same time."

Waverly smiled widely as Nicole met her gaze, hazel eyes creasing around the edges. She seemed to contemplate the redhead's words for a moment, and Nicole’s throat tightened ever so slightly at the adorable way the brunette’s brows formed two little lines between them as she thought.

“My mama used to call snowflakes _‘winter’s butterflies.’_ ” Waverly’s voice was soft, laced with something wistful, but she smiled sweetly as she turned her gaze back to the window and the blankets of white that rolled past them.

"Winter's butterflies," Nicole repeated on a whisper, a soft smile curling around the words. "I like that."

She wanted to say something. Wanted to mention the letter and the things that she knew. The closer she got to Waverly, the more it felt dangerously like a lie, but she just couldn't bring herself to put the brunette in a position where she might feel the need to talk about her past out of _obligation_ , and not out of choice or comfort. She wanted to be _safety_ for Waverly. Not another expectation.

The song on the stereo switched once more, the guitar twang and the bassy boom of Merry Christmas Everybody blasting through the truck's cab. 

"Now _this_ is the _ultimate!_ " Nicole grinned, already singing along tunelessly as she turned the dial to increase the volume.

By the end of the journey, Nicole could hear the quiet melody of the brunette humming along to the song beside her, and she knew that she couldn’t wipe the smitten grin off of her face if she tried.

❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅🎄❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅

Waverly fell quiet as Nicole manoeuvred the truck down the winding lane into Holliday’s Farm. That spark of magic burned clear still in hazel eyes, but there was something a little tighter underneath it. Something a little more reserved in the quiet voice and the slightly dilated pupils that suggested maybe Waverly was nervous. Or uncertain. Somehow as though she was excited, but she wasn't sure whether she really should be. Nicole pulled the truck in to park slowly, giving the brunette a moment to collect her thoughts; a little room to breathe before they finally jumped from the cab.

The air felt colder out here in the open, and the fresh snow crunched beneath their feet as they walked. The path that led to the entrance was lined on either side with brightly dressed trees, the lights shining in the white of the snow and the skies. Small wooden booths sat either side of the entrance, selling hot chocolate and mulled cider, and pretzels and roasted chestnuts. The air was filled with their mouth watering scents, mixing deliciously with the heady scent of pine that drifted along the breeze. Nicole grinned as Waverly stood on her tiptoes, wobbling slightly in an effort to see the contents of the stalls.

"I don't know about you, but I _definitely_ can't pick a Christmas tree on an empty stomach." Nicole nodded her head towards the stalls, raising her eyebrows in question.

She chuckled, almost giddy as Waverly’s eyes widened in excitement and her lips parted slightly. 

"I've always wanted to try roasted chestnuts.” Waverly wrinkled her nose. “But Wynonna says they smell _way_ better than they taste." 

"Personally, I think Wynonna would say that about anything that isn't deep fat fried or whiskey soaked." Nicole grinned, her voice playful. "You're a strong, independent woman, Waverly Earp. You do you."

There was a moment of quiet as Waverly pondered her options, her nose still wrinkled and her brow creased as she surveyed the stalls. 

"If you're unsure, why not get a bag of chestnuts _and_ a couple of pretzels?” Nicole shrugged. “Why limit yourself to just _one_ treat?"

"You know _all_ the right things to say, don't you Haught." Waverly laughed gleefully, nodding her head in approval as they approached the stall and the man behind it.

"Welcome to Holliday Farm. What can I get you, ladies?" 

Nicole stepped back, gesturing for Waverly to go first before placing her own order. 

"Are you paying separately?” The man addressed Nicole directly, his voice gruff but his eyes friendly. “Or will you be treating your girlfriend here?"

"Oh, I uh…" Nicole blushed, her mouth instantly dry as she fumbled for her words.

"Oh, we-we're not…" Waverly’s voice blended with Nicole’s own as they both stuttered to correct the misunderstanding.

"I'm not… she's not…" 

Nicole huffed out a laugh as she met a giggling Waverly’s gaze, the brunette’s cheeks as red as she knew her own were. She shook her head, grinning as she turned back to address the vendor. 

"But _yes,_ I will be paying for both."

"Are you sure?” Waverly put a mittened hand on Nicole’s arm, the other waving her wallet around in protest. “You don't have to do that, I can…" 

"I invited you out, Waves.” Nicole smiled widely, waving her hand dismissively at the flailing wallet. “It's the least I can do for taking up your Sunday, and after the treats you've brought to me at the homestead this weekend."

Waverly smiled coyly, her voice small as she thanked the redhead.

She was quiet as she selected her first chestnut, bringing it to her nose, and studying it carefully before nibbling at it tentatively. Nicole bit back a chuckle at the adorable display. She wondered, briefly, if Waverly always approached new things with as much curiosity and care. She grinned as the brunette seemed to reach her conclusion, and tucked happily into the rest of the bag as they headed through the entrance hut and out into the lands of the farm. 

Waverly seemed a little more alert now that they were out of the truck, almost bouncing along beside Nicole, her eyes widening at the rows and rows of trees.

"You know, I've known Doc Holliday for so many years, but I've never been here," she murmured, her eyes roaming in every direction.

"Is he a friend?" 

"He's an on-off boyfriend of Wynonna’s." Waverly smirked.

Nicole laughed. _Well_ then. She was looking forward to this. She couldn’t deny that she was _very_ intrigued to discover the kind of man that could win Wynonna Earp’s ongoing affection. 

Well. 

_Sort of,_ it seemed.

The area of the farm just beyond the entrance housed rows and rows of pre-cut trees of all shapes and sizes. Nicole was transfixed on the brunette as they wandered, and she was fairly certain she could listen to Waverly Earp talk forever. The brunette barely paused for air, passion filling her eyes and her voice as she spoke in depth about her studies, and her love for ancient languages and cultures and history. Nicole was sure the skies could have fallen in around them and she wouldn’t have noticed, her eyes and her mind focusing on nothing but the enchanting woman beside her. 

"See anything you like, Haught?"

"Hmm?" Nicole blushed deeply, pulling herself from her trance as she realised just how intensely she had been watching Waverly’s face, and _not_ their surroundings as they'd wandered.

"The trees…" Waverly grinned cheekily. Her eyes were almost knowing, and Nicole’s blush deepened. "Any take your fancy?"

"Oh, we aren't picking one from in here." Nicole grinned.

Waverly furrowed her brows.

"We aren't?"

"Of course not. If we're gonna pick a tree from Holliday's Farm, we're gonna do it _properly."_ Nicole grinned, gesturing out toward the sea of trees still planted across the land. 

"Wait, we're gonna _cut one down?"_

Waverly seemed to forget herself as she practically squeaked with excitement, and Nicole couldn’t help but laugh at the adorable sound. The brunette might not _'do Christmas'_ , but that enthusiasm was crystal clear. That longing for the magic was still there, and it wasn't even all that far beneath the surface.

"Of course!"

"Then _what_ are we waiting for?" 

Nicole laughed as the brunette skipped off into the forest, the oversized bobble on her hat bouncing along amongst the green. Nicole watched her go for the briefest of moments, before she scurried after her. 

Adorable. 

She bit her lip in amusement as Waverly disappeared behind a tree.

 _Impossibly_ adorable. 

She followed the footprints, furrowing her brow as the trail came up empty. She squinted her eyes, searching for movement amongst the nearby trees. She jolted, adrenaline spiking through her veins as a snowball flew _right_ past her ear, and she spun with a grin at the sound of familiar giggles behind her.

“Poor aim, Earp. Maybe I’ll have to show you how it’s…”

A second snowball thudded straight into the centre of her chest. 

Nicole bit her lip to hide her amusement as Waverly’s giggles ascended into open laughter. 

_"Right_ …” 

She kept her gaze locked on Waverly’s as she squatted down, deliberately and painstakingly packing the snow into a sizeable snowball. She grinned devilishly as she stood, smoothing the excess snow from her perfectly formed ball. She cocked an eyebrow, hooking her arm back.

“You asked for it."

She laughed openly as Waverly squealed, slipping in the snow as she ran away amongst the trees. By the time Nicole managed to catch up with the playful brunette, Waverly was poised, her arms spread wide as she proudly presented the bushiest, greenest tree the redhead had ever seen. Nicole grinned at the knowing spark in hazel eyes, and the satisfied smile across her cheeks.

The tree was _definitely_ a little taller than Nicole would usually have chosen, and would likely need some considerable pruning to fit in her small living room... but if there was one thing she had learned this weekend, it was that she was already well past being able to deny Waverly Earp _anything_ that she wanted. Besides, Waverly was to pick and fell the tree. That was the criteria.

"Mighty fine choice, Miss Earp." 

The deep, southern twang of a male voice rang out behind Nicole, and she chuckled as her eyes landed on the speaker. 

The prior knowledge of Waverly’s name, the Holliday Farm logo across the thick flannel shirt and emblazoned on the front of a well kept Stetson, the saw swinging nonchalantly from thick gloved hands… Nicole was pretty sure this had to be Doc Holliday. Certainly not what she had _expected_ for Wynonna, but the twinkle in piercing blue eyes seemed to provide every answer Nicole could ever need as to _exactly_ why they were compatible. Doc tilted his hat, his moustache curling into a welcoming smile as he addressed Waverly once more.

"I do believe this to be the first time I am seeing you here on my establishment?"

"What can I say, Nicole here can be very convincing." Waverly smirked, nudging Nicole lightly with her hip as she fell in beside her.

"Then I like her already. Doc Holliday." The man extended a hand out to Nicole, the other tilting his hat once more. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Nicole Haught." The redhead grinned. She couldn’t help but return the sentiment. Doc and his quirky charm were very easy to warm to. 

"This your chosen beauty?" Doc nodded toward the tree.

Nicole looked pointedly at Waverly, chuckling as the brunette’s beam grew impossibly wider and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Great choice." Doc winked, handing the saw to Nicole. "Get her down, girls."

Nicole flipped the saw, offering the handle to Waverly, huffing out a laugh at the look of surprise on the brunette’s face.

"Really?” Waverly's eyes widened. “But it's your tree."

Nicole shrugged.

"It's your first time! Gotta have the full, hands on experience.” She grinned, gesturing to the base of the tree. “Plus, you’re _much_ better equipped to crawl under that than I am.”

Nicole stepped back, her stomach working in overdrive as she watched Waverly ask questions that she’d known were coming. She grinned. _Yes,_ it seemed. Waverly Earp _did_ approach every new thing with the same curiosity and care. She watched with ever-growing fondness as Doc showed Waverly how to position the saw, and where best to target the tree for a swifter, cleaner cut. She couldn’t help but wish that _her_ arms were the ones wrapped around the brunette, helping to show her the motion she needed to use, but the light in hazel eyes was worth watching from afar for.

Waverly dropped to the floor, not even a moment's hesitation as she wriggled her way under the low hanging pines. It was barely five minutes before she whooped in triumph, the tree swaying slightly under Doc’s hold as the brunette shuffled her way back out from beneath it. It was by no means the smallest tree Nicole had seen, and so the swift time was a fairly impressive display of strength and accuracy that should have been surprising given the brunette’s small stature and inexperience, and yet somehow Nicole knew she had expected nothing less. She held her hand out for Waverly as the brunette moved to stand up, clumps of snow falling from her front and pine needles clinging to the bobble of her hat. 

Waverly smiled coyly, bouncing a little giddily as Doc grabbed the base of the tree, dragging it carefully through the snow as he took it off to wrap it.

From evident strength to unbearable cuteness in mere moments.

"Anyone ever tell you you're adorable, Earp?" Nicole chuckled.

 _"Someone_ might have mentioned it to me once." Waverly sang, her grin nothing short of cheeky as she linked her arm through Nicole’s. She leaned into her slightly as they followed Doc back to the hut.

 _"Psst, hey, Wave."_ Nicole leaned closer, dropping her voice to whisper. 

Waverly turned her face up to Nicole, her eyes wide in curious confusion. 

Nicole grinned.

"Wanna pick out a wreath before we go have that hot chocolate I promised you?"

Waverly’s grin was blinding.

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"So, can I interest you in the _greatest_ hot chocolate you will ever have?"

Nicole grinned as Waverly settled back onto the couch in the redhead’s living room, her legs pulled up beneath her and her arms wrapped around a cushion.

"Why else would I be here?" Waverly quirked an eyebrow, her lips tugged into a mischievous grin.

"Well, I _assumed_ you'd been lured by the fantastic company." Nicole winked.

"It's a _real_ close second." Waverly held her hand up, her forefinger and thumb a hair’s width apart as she smirked playfully. “But you called this hot chocolate _famous,_ Haught, so you can’t blame a girl for being a little curious.”

Nicole chuckled, holding out a finger in a gesture for Waverly to wait as she stepped into the open plan kitchen area of her home. The brunette sat forwards, rocking onto her knees on the couch as she watched her host’s movements. Nicole smiled softly as she set about gathering the ingredients she needed, and the utensils, the pan, and the mugs. Waverly Earp’s inquisitive nature, the spark of brilliance and the constant drive to learn about everything around her was fast becoming Nicole’s favourite thing about the brunette, and she couldn’t help but crush harder every time she watched those lines form between hazel eyes, and the fire of curiosity burn behind them. She shook her head, barely able to believe how fast this woman had gripped her entire chest. 

She truly was _fucked._

She grabbed her pan, heating oat milk slowly as she chopped plenty of chocolate into small pieces. She stirred it into the milk, adding a healthy splash of vegan Irish cream liquor, and inhaled deeply as the scent of cocoa mixed with the bitter tang of the alcohol. Once a frankly _obscene_ amount of thick hot chocolate had been poured into each of the oversized mugs, she topped both off with whipped oat cream and crushed peppermint candy pieces.

"Pfft, no marshmallows?"

Nicole cocked a brow as she shot her eyes up to meet Waverly’s teasing gaze.

“Hardly the _greatest_ hot chocolate I’ll ever have if there’s not even any marshmallows.” Waverly sang, her eyes betraying her deliberate tease.

Nicole shook her head, unable to hold back her grin as she grabbed a bag from the cupboard, handing it to Waverly alongside the almost overflowing mug.

Waverly brought the mug to her lips painfully slowly, her eyes playful as they fixed deliberately on Nicole’s. The redhead suddenly felt her stomach drop with anxiety. Maybe she shouldn’t have played this up so hard. _Undersell,_ right? Leave room to be pleasantly surprised. She slowly lowered herself onto the couch beside the brunette, her hands wrapped around her own mug as she watched in anticipation.

She held her breath as Waverly finally took a sip.

 _"Jesus,_ Haught, you weren't joking!"

Waverly moaned; so low and so deep that it burned straight through Nicole’s core. Despite every attempt to fight it, the sound sent her mind spiralling into the _dirtiest_ of her fantasies, immediately raising a blush over her neck that she knew she had _no_ hope of hiding.

 _Fucking_ hell. 

Embarrassing. That was, frankly, embarrassing.

She closed her eyes for a moment, willing her body to stay calm as Waverly took another sip, the second sound of approval thankfully considerably less distracting than the first. 

“Okay, you win. This is the greatest hot chocolate I’ve ever had.”

“Cheers to that.” Nicole grinned, holding her mug out to clink against the brunette’s.

Waverly settled herself back once more, her eyes drifting to the tree propped in the doorway as she sipped slowly at her drink. Nicole smirked. She may not have known Waverly Earp for very long, but she was pretty sure she would know that look on anyone. That hopeful excitement. The slight agitation of someone working themselves up to ask for something they weren’t sure it was okay to ask for. Watching the brunette’s eyes flick once more to the tree, she figured she had a pretty good idea what it was that Waverly was psyching herself up to ask. 

And she was always going to give it to her. 

Of course she was. She had a Real Christmas to deliver, and she wanted Waverly to experience _every_ joy that she had dreamed of enough to line on paper. And right now, she had only delivered _half_ of Real Christmas item number three.

_To cut down a nice big green Christmas tree at Holliday's Farm…_

"So, erm…” Waverly’s voice wavered slightly, her tone lower than usual as she tried to feign disaffect. “When you thinking you’ll put your tree up?" 

Nicole bit back a grin.

_... and put lots of decorations on it and a big smiling angel on the top._

"I was thinking... maybe now?"

"Oh, do you want me to leave you to it?" The tone was higher this time, the question trailing off in a way that suggested that _really_ wasn’t what Waverly wanted to do.

Nicole smirked. 

Doesn't _'do'_ Christmas. 

One hour on a tree farm, a couple of roasted chestnuts, a peppermint hot chocolate and Wham's Christmas number one, and Waverly Earp was eyeing up the next festive activity with as much wide-eyed excitement as a child in a toy store.

Nicole had a sudden surge of resentment for every single person in Waverly’s life who had snuffed that spark out for seventeen years.

She was going to light it.

"And why would I want that, Earp?" She grinned playfully. _"You_ cut it down, you don't wanna dress it?"

 _"Really?"_ Waverly practically squeaked in her excitement.

Nicole laughed, biting her lip as the brunette blushed. She _really_ loved that little sound.

"I-I wasn't sure if that might be overstepping," Waverly muttered, her smile coy.

“I’ll allow it.” Nicole winked. “But on _one_ condition, Waverly Earp.”

“What?” Waverly raised an eyebrow, her voice almost nervous.

 _“No-one_ puts a tree up in this house without a Christmas sweater.”

Waverly scoffed out a laugh as Nicole leapt to her feet, her socks padding against the floor as she raced off to her bedroom. The redhead rifled through her drawers, knowing _exactly_ which sweater she was looking for. She pulled it out, tearing her shirt over her head and replacing it with her own sweater before bounding back into the living room. 

The material of Nicole’s own sweater was fashioned to look as though she was wearing an elf costume, and she gestured proudly towards it as Waverly giggled. 

“Sexy, right?” Nicole wriggled her eyebrows.

 _“Irresistible._ ” Waverly smirked, her voice a little lower than usual.

Nicole swallowed. 

That had… _almost_ sounded flirtatious.

Almost.

She was pretty sure that was hopeful thinking on her part, but she couldn't help the surge of adrenaline that heated her veins each time Waverly’s eyes took on that mischievous glint, and her words carried that teasing tone. 

She cleared her throat, shaking her head slightly as if she could somehow rid her cheeks of their sudden flush. 

“Here.” She dropped her gaze, her blush spreading to the tips of her ears as she handed Waverly the sweater she had picked out for her. “It’ll drown you, but can a sweater ever _really_ be too big?”

She turned her back as Waverly changed, knowing full well that she couldn’t trust her smitten body not to have a full-scale meltdown on the off chance that the brunette was _not_ wearing layers underneath her cable-knit sweater. She turned back as she heard Waverly giggle, her stomach flipping traitorously at the sight of the brunette in her clothes. The sweater was deep green, littered with woven candy canes and glittery baubles, and dotted with battery powered flashing lights. It was _definitely_ too big on the brunette, but Nicole couldn't help but love the way Waverly pulled the sleeves around herself, as if somehow trying to pull the material tighter. It just made the whole thing far more endearing.

The words of the letter flashed once more in Nicole’s mind and she grinned.

_Maybe I need a silly sweater too?_

This one had been a happy accident.

“You can keep that. I have six.”

 _"Six?"_ Waverly laughed, her eyes wide with disbelief. 

Nicole shrugged, giving her best dimpled grin.

"That one looks _way_ better on you though."

Waverly bit her lip, her eyes flashing with something Nicole couldn’t identify. Something _warmer_ that sent butterflies swarming instantly in the redhead’s stomach. Something that felt like another almost. Nicole swallowed thickly.

“Shall we, uh…” she gestured to the tree, her cheeks burning hotter than ever under that gaze that she couldn’t quite decipher.

The tree was, as predicted, definitely too tall and too wide to look quite at home in the small room, and yet somehow it felt _extra_ perfect. Nicole switched the stereo on, Christmas music filling the room as they cut and positioned the tree, strung the lights and pulled the boxes of decorations from the under stairs cupboard.

"These are _so_ adorable.” Waverly ran her fingers gently over the delicate wooden ornaments, picking up a small robin and turning it in her hands. “Where did you get these?"

"I, uh…" Nicole blushed, rubbing the back of her neck in a nervous gesture. "I made them."

"Wait, you did?" Waverly’s eyebrows shot up, her jaw dropping in surprise as she studied Nicole’s face. "Oh my god, that's _amazing._ They’re _beautiful,_ Nic.”

"Thank you.” Nicole shrugged, feeling uncharacteristically shy under Waverly’s praise and the casual nickname. “I've been doing it since I was a kid." 

There was a moment of quiet as Waverly studied the ornaments. She mapped her fingertips slowly over the hat and the carrot nose of a smoothly carved snowman, lifting its weight into her palm. She smiled so softly that it would barely have been noticeable, had Nicole not been watching the spark in hazel eyes so intently. 

Waverly flicked her gaze back to Nicole’s.

"So you make advent calendars too, huh?" 

The soft words were phrased as a question, but the knowing statement within them spoke for itself.

_Shit._

"I, uh…" 

Nicole huffed out a weak chuckle, her chest tightening with the burn of embarrassment. The idea of Waverly knowing that she had made the calendar unnerved her far more than it should have, but she couldn't help but feel shy.

The way those eyes seemed to see straight through her.

Well and truly rumbled. 

She forced a cheeky grin, willing her voice to carry a confidence she wasn’t sure she felt. 

"I make them for my favourite people. _Obviously_ I couldn't leave out my favourite Earp.”

There was another long moment of quiet, and then Nicole breathed a sigh of relief as Waverly grinned, the vague answer seemingly accepted. 

“That's really sweet. Thank you, Nic. No-one has ever made anything like that for me before. I really love it.” Waverly slipped her finger through the thread looped in the hat of the ornament in her hand, dangling it out before her. “I got a _very tiny_ snowman this morning.”

“Well then, we’ll have to get you your own very tiny tree to hang it from, won’t we Earp?” Nicole teased, nudging Waverly playfully with her shoulder.

Nicole beamed as Waverly jumped to her feet, twirling and twisting in time to the music as she carried the snowman toward the tree. Before long, the brunette was openly singing along to the Christmas classics as she worked, the lights on her sweater flickering across her face as she danced around. Nicole couldn’t help the warmth that filled her chest as Waverly took the time to study each and every decoration, giving each a soft smile before hanging them carefully on the tree.

Nicole knew she was in a whole world of trouble. This was unlike any crush she had ever experienced, and she knew that the word didn’t seem adequate. She had known Waverly Earp just three days, and yet she could feel her heart falling faster for the brunette than she could even begin to understand. All she wanted was to spend as much time with Waverly as the brunette would allow her to, but the risk of getting hurt was high, and she knew it.

She shook her head, grinning as Waverly belted out the chorus to 'All I Want For Christmas' into a wooden candy cane, her eyes closed as she strained for the high notes. 

If anything was worth the risk, it was this.


	4. Reindeer Drawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halfway point!! Hope you're all starting to feel a little bit festive? 
> 
> Thank you so much for the love for this fic, it makes my days to get your feedback! <3
> 
> Happy Wednesday.

Nicole pushed open the saloon doors, her grin spreading the moment her eyes landed on Waverly. The brunette oozed charm as she bustled about behind the bar, tending to Shorty’s early afternoon patrons with a welcoming smile. As always.

A _beautiful_ smile.

Albeit, a well-rehearsed smile.

One that Nicole had come to learn over the past week didn't quite reach her eyes the way her real one did. They didn't crinkle the same.

Not like they did when she looked up, and those hazel eyes met the redhead’s own.

Nicole’s stomach flipped. 

She had seen Waverly twice already this week. The brunette had shown up at the homestead the past two lunchtimes with her adorable cool bag packed with sandwiches for Nicole and her team, and had sat beside them amongst the dust as they ate. The redhead had seemingly been unable to keep her heart eyes under control, and so both Robin and Dolls had teased her relentlessly for the past 48 hours.

Including, embarrassingly, in front of Waverly. 

And yet somehow she just couldn't find it in herself to care.

"Just can't stay away, huh?" Waverly teased, her eyes sparkling as she leaned on her elbows across the bar. 

Nicole grinned.

"This place just has the best bar staff." She shrugged, winking cheekily at the brunette.

The exchange between them had become far more playful since their tree shopping, the light teasing and the eye contact and the soft touches walking the finest of lines between friendly and flirty, and Nicole was starting to feel all kinds of hopelessly hopeful that just _maybe_ this _might_ be something. 

It felt unlikely. She wasn't that lucky. 

But… just _maybe._

"Oh so you _are_ here for me?" Waverly's eyebrow quirked, a mischievous smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "Thought you might have come to sample Shorty’s famous vegan eggnog?" 

She tilted her head back, pointing her finger up to where the specials board had been adorned with chalk drawings of holly sprigs and snowmen, the eggnog listed in decadent swirling handwriting. Nicole chuckled. 

"Is that a recommendation?" 

"It's practically an insistence." Waverly grinned.

"Oh well in _that_ case, I'll get two please." 

Nicole bit her lip, trying desperately to keep those damn heart eyes in check as the brunette beamed, setting about making the drinks with a literal skip in her step.

"What're you here to drag me into this time, then, Haught?" Waverly turned her head, smirking over her shoulder at the redhead as she poured the liquid into two large glasses, adding whipped cream and cinnamon powder on top.

"Can't a girl visit her favourite Purgatorian without an ulterior motive?" Nicole raised her eyebrows, biting back a grin. 

"Oh, _Purgatorian?_ That's an upgrade, I thought I was just your favourite _Earp_."

Waverly quirked an eyebrow, her grin almost cocky as she slid both drinks across the bar. Nicole chuckled, holding the brunette’s gaze as she deliberately pushed one back. The smug fire in Waverly’s eyes dropped instantly, a blush colouring her cheeks in its place.

"Thank you, I… I didn't want to assume." Waverly’s voice was soft, an abashed smile clinging to her lips as she wrapped her hands around the glass. 

Nicole gave her a reassuring smile, lifting her glass in a cheers before taking her first sip.

"So… you're _not_ here to drag me into anything?" Waverly's eyebrows raised hopefully, her voice laced with something that sounded a lot like disappointment. 

"Oh no, I am." 

Nicole grinned as Waverly laughed, her cheeks flushing. 

"Come to the Santa parade with me?"

Waverly’s eyes flashed with amused surprise, and she shook her head as she giggled.

" _What_ do you do with yourself from January to November?"

"Stick around long enough and you'll find out." 

Nicole hadn't meant for her voice to drop so low, or for her gaze to fix so intently on Waverly’s as the words left her mouth. She'd intended playful, but even she could hear the obvious flirtatious lilt in the way that she had spoken. She held her breath as Waverly’s eyes widened in surprise, her lips parting ever so slightly. 

She exhaled in relief as the brunette’s lips curled into a cheeky grin, her eyes sparkling even more than usual as she leaned back across the bar.

"I finish at three. There'd better be a mulled cider in this for me." 

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The high street was almost unrecognisable.

Every store window was filled with scenes of Santa’s workshop, or of a woodland winter wonderland, or a traditional Nativity scene; all with glitter and sparkle and fairylights of all shapes and colours. Stalls lined the sidewalks, some selling the products of the store they sat outside, others selling mince pies or gingerbread or mulled wine and ciders.

It felt like a date. 

Nicole knew it wasn’t. 

She _knew_ it wasn’t, but it _really_ felt like one, and Waverly’s fingers brushing occasionally against her own as they wandered slowly along the bustling high street were making her head feel light. 

The brunette was adorable as always, her eyes shining with curiosity as she took in the atmosphere around her, eagerly surveying the contents of the various stalls, and pointing out the best of the window scenes.

The parade was due to run the road right around the edge of the park, and Waverly and Nicole found themselves a prime viewing spot beside the low wrought iron fence that lined the area. Just the other side, the sound of squeals and laughter rang above the general hubbub, peeling from the skaters over the frozen pond. Nicole watched as Waverly scanned the rink, her eyes wide with uncertainty. A handful of teenagers, maybe thirteen or fourteen in age, chased each other boisterously round the pond, dipping and swerving energetically between the other skaters. Amongst the mayhem, just along the edge of the pond, a young girl of maybe seven or eight clung desperately to her guardian’s arm as she took tentative steps onto the ice. The steps were closer to walking; the little girl’s feet stumbling across the ice, not quite accustomed to the glide of the blades. Nicole watched for a moment, before her eyes flicked back to Waverly. The brunette’s gaze had softened, her lips curling into an earnest smile at the joy and the anticipation in the little girl's face, and her frantic squeals of fear and delight. 

The joy and the anticipation and the delight that makes a Real Christmas. 

_To go and ice skate on the pond in the town. It looks like lots of fun but there are always lots of bigger kids and they are really fast and I don't have anyone to hold my hand in case I fall._

It wasn’t the time. Not tonight.

But Nicole would be damned if she would let Christmas come around without trying.

The sound of whoops and cheers, and the thump of music slowly growing louder pulled their focus back to the road, and both women turned to crane their necks in search of the start of the approaching parade. Nicole smiled softly as Waverly stood on her tiptoes in an effort to see better, leaning herself against the redhead’s side as she tried to keep her balance.

"Want a lift?" Nicole motioned to her own shoulders, wriggling her eyebrows playfully. 

"What?" Waverly laughed, her cheeks flushing deep red. " _No_ , I'll be _way_ too heavy!"

"Highly unlikely." Nicole grinned cheekily, deliberately flexing her biceps. "Try me!"

Waverly laughed, her blush deepening even as the uncertainty in her eyes faded. She studied the redhead’s face for a moment, before slowly nodding her assent, reaching out as Nicole crouched down. She climbed carefully onto the redhead’s shoulders, gripping tightly and squealing as Nicole stood up to her full height.

"Pfft. _Too heavy._ No such thing," Nicole teased, holding on firmly to Waverly’s shins in an effort to make the brunette feel more secure. 

Waverly flicked her ear.

"Yes, I concede, you are _super_ strong and muscly." She grinned, fanning a hand over her face. "Be still my beating heart." 

"You joke, Earp, but you're blushing." Nicole grinned.

Waverly flicked her ear again.

The floats seemed to be never ending, the music and the lights and the atmosphere whipping spirits high across the crowded street. 

The local high school passed first, dressed as the twelve days of Christmas, the marching band playing the pipers and the drummers. 

The primary school followed along behind, dozens of gingerbread men and candy canes waving shyly from their float. 

Then the local choir dressed as elves, their very own Santa conducting them through pop versions of beloved Christmas hymns.

The themes were everything from cute to tacky, to glamorous, to talented and everything in between, and Waverly laughed and clapped and whooped and cheered and melted Nicole’s heart at every single one of them.

Once the parade had passed and the crowds had begun to disperse, Nicole felt Waverly tug gently at her hood in a silent request to be let down. She grinned, squatting as low and as carefully as she could to allow the brunette as much grace as possible in her dismount.

"Hey, look it's Robin!"

Waverly was waving frantically before Nicole had even managed to pull herself back to full height, and by the time the redhead had spotted her colleague, he was already picking his way over to them.

"Evening, Waverly. _Nicole._ " 

Robin beamed, something far too knowing in his eyes as he addressed his colleague. The redhead blushed, gritting her jaw. 

"I trust we are enjoying ourselves?"

"Of course." Waverly’s gaze flicked to Nicole, her smile reaching those crinkles in her eyes. She furrowed her brows as she turned back to Robin. "You here by yourself?"

"I wandered down with Dolls, but we bumped into Wynonna and she dragged him to get _'something with whiskey'_ , so I'm entertaining myself for now." Robin shrugged. "What're you guys up to?"

Nicole grinned. She knew _exactly_ where she wanted to go next, and she couldn’t help but feel extremely smug that she'd managed to get anywhere near this. This had been the aspect of little Waverly’s Real Christmas that Nicole had not quite known how to address, but this parade had handed her the perfect opportunity on a mince pie and carrot covered platter.

_To come and visit you at the grotto. Stephanie Jones goes every year and she says you smell funny but Stephanie smells like cheese all the time so don't worry about that._

"I was just about to drag Waves to the grotto." Nicole grinned, glancing at the brunette as she waited for the inevitable reaction. 

"Wh… the _grotto?"_ Waverly’s face screwed slightly, her tone a little bewildered. She laughed openly. "What are you, six?"

"It's Christmas tradition!" Nicole worked her best puppy dog eyes. "I don't wanna go alone, I'll look like a creeper." 

"Haught we will _still_ look like creepers if we both go!" Waverly laughed, holding her hands up in rebuttal. "I am _not_ going to sit on Randy Nedley's knee with a bunch of kindergarteners."

" _Please?_ Why does all the magic have to be for children?"

Nicole punctuated her sentence with a full pout. Waverly’s eyes softened as she traced the movement of the redhead’s lips, and she shook her head in amusement. 

"You're really something else, Nicole Haught, you know that?"

"Is that a yes?"

Waverly bit back a grin, rolling her eyes.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes."

"If you guys are going to the grotto, mind a tagalong?" Robin raised his shoulders hopefully. "I passed by earlier and there was a _really_ cute elf…"

 _"Oh_ for fuck sake, _come_ on then, you giant children." Waverly giggled, linking her arms through both Robin and Nicole’s as she tugged them in the direction of the grotto.

The evening was growing colder and darker as they reached the small mobile log cabin that pulled into Purgatory’s high street every year for the makeshift grotto. Garlands peppered with lights and coloured glass baubles lined each of the hut’s windows, and two large wooden toy soldiers stood either side of the brightly painted double doors. The queue area was defined by lines of candy cane stake lights, creating a clear, winding path to the grotto’s door, where Robin’s elf crush was happily ushering children in and out of the cabin. The queue line was quiet; the grotto not far from its closing hour, and most small children headed home into the warm. Nicole chuckled softly as Waverly folded her arms across her chest, her cheeks flushed in obvious embarrassment as they lined up behind the last of the children remaining in the queue.

Nicole bit back her giggles as Robin’s elf reappeared, hovering uncertainly as he debated whether he ought to be maintaining his act for these visitors.

Waverly made his decision for him.

 _"Jeremy?"_ The brunette giggled, squinting slightly as she studied the man’s face beneath the hat and the make up.

"Waverly, _hey!_ " The elf beamed, his shoulders dropping as he recognised his friend. "Good to see you. How are you? Uh, are you… do you have…?" 

Jeremy’s brows furrowed as he scanned the area, looking, presumably, for the reason three fully grown adults might be queuing up for a Santa’s grotto. Nicole stifled a giggle as Waverly nudged her with her hip.

"The only child I have with me is _this_ giant toddler." Waverly shook her head with a grin, jerking her thumb in Nicole’s direction.

The redhead beamed cheekily. 

"Jeremy, this is Nicole Haught and Robin Jett, they're working on renovating the homestead."

Waverly gestured to each in turn, and Jeremy offered his hand out to both. Nicole nudged Waverly with her elbow, wriggling her eyebrows playfully as the elf held Robin’s gaze just a beat too long, their hands clasped firmly for _just_ a few seconds longer than a handshake really required. Waverly grinned.

"And _this_ is Jeremy Chetri. We went to school together."

"Great to meet you." Jeremy beamed, his eyes trained solely on Robin before he visibly caught himself, shuffling awkwardly and waving his hand aimlessly. "Bo-both of you. Of course." 

Nicole bit her lip, nodding in reassurance as Jeremy’s sheepish gaze met her own and he blushed.

"Anyway," Jeremy started, his voice higher; more animated, and his tone extra playful as he slipped effortlessly back into his elfin character. "Santa is ready for you. You're his _last_ visitors tonight, so that makes you _extra_ special." He winked exaggeratedly at a chuckling Waverly, his voice softening once more as he pushed open the double doors. "Nedley will love to see you, go on through."

“Thank you, Jer. Let’s catch up soon, yes?” Waverly pulled her friend into a warm hug, before gesturing pointedly at Nicole to move through the doors.

"I'm just gonna… wait here, if that's okay?" Robin rubbed his neck nervously as he met Nicole’s gaze, something pointed in his eyes that told the redhead all she needed to know. 

“Sure thing,” Nicole winked, pushing Waverly lightly through the doors in an effort to give her colleague the space he clearly needed to work his magic. “Catch us up in a bit.”

Nicole was pretty sure Purgatory’s grotto was the cosiest she had ever seen. The edge of the ceiling was lined with garlands to mirror the ones on the windows outside, and a net of fairy lights shone like stars above their heads. The Christmas tree was decorated with traditional wooden toys; soldiers, rocking horses, steam engines, teddy bears and tiny dolls spread across the branches, light bouncing from the glossed surfaces. A makeshift mantlepiece sat over an electric log burner, eight stockings hanging empty along the wooden beam; each stitched with the names of Santa’s reindeer.

 _“Ho ho ho,_ and _who_ have we here?”

Nicole giggled as the booming voice rang out across the cabin, and Waverly halted just inside the door, covering her face with her hands. 

"After you." Nicole grinned, nudging the brunette forward.

Beside the fireplace, a large tartan armchair held the man in red himself; a matching footstool to one side and a now slightly depleted looking red velvet sack to the other. 

"Wait a minute…” 

Santa’s voice rang out once more, though softer this time; quieter and considerably less elaborate. 

“Well, I never! _Waverly Earp._ Twenty-five years and _this_ is when you choose to visit me here?" 

Nedley chuckled, shuffling in his seat as he relaxed, his act dropped.

“Better late than never, right?” Waverly blushed, but her eyes sparkled with that glint that Nicole knew was genuine joy.

If Nicole had correctly filled in the gaps between the words on eight year old Waverly’s letter and the sparkle in hazel eyes now, Mr Nedley was a prominent figure in the young Earp’s life. A guardian of sorts, and clearly still beloved now.

"Well, I'm not sure it would be entirely proper for you to sit on my lap now, would it.” Nedley raised an eyebrow, shaking his head with a chuckle. His voice shifted again, the act returning even if not quite as booming as it had been. He patted the footstool. “But come and take a seat beside me and tell me what you'd like for Christmas this year, Miss Earp." 

Waverly laughed.

"Do kids still say My Little Pony and an Easy Bake Oven?" She wrinkled her nose.

 _"Not_ quite. It's all Nintendo Switches and whatever in _God's_ name an L.O.L Doll is." 

Nedley laughed, shaking his head. 

He flicked his eyes to Nicole for the first time, a light blush spreading above the white of his beard as he clearly tried to decipher how a man dressed as Santa was expected to address a fully grown adult he had never met before.

Nicole bit her cheek.

Nedley cleared his throat. 

"And uh... what about you, Ms…"

"Haught." Nicole grinned, stepping forward to offer her hand. "Nicole Haught."

"Pleasure to meet you Ms Haught." Nedley gripped the redhead’s hand, the shake firm but warm. "Do you, uh… did you want to..."

He trailed off, and Nicole bit back a laugh as she caught Waverly’s eye and the brunette smirked.

"Nic, come and tell Santa what you want for Christmas?" Waverly’s smile was sickly sweet as she gestured to the stool beside her.

"No can do, I'm afraid." Nicole winced, throwing a deliberately apologetic glance in Nedley's direction. "I'm on the naughty list."

"Oh, for fu…" Waverly’s jaw tightened in a half scowl and her eyes narrowed, glinting with amusement as she held back her laughter.

Nicole grinned.

Waverly shook her head.

"We won't take up anymore of your time, Mr Nedley, I’m sure you’re itching to get home and get out of that beard." Waverly grinned at the relieved look on the man’s face, keeping her tone playful. "I’ll see you tomorrow?"

"Happy hour, as always." Nedley winked, his moustache quirking as he smiled. “Have a good night, ladies."

Nicole couldn’t hold back her laughter as a giggling Waverly bowled her out of the cabin and back into the brisk air of the evening.

“You are _such_ a child, I cannot _believe_ you.” Waverly attempted a half assed scowl, but her giggles rendered the effort fruitless. She settled instead for shoving Nicole’s side lightly. “Dragging me in there then just standing back like _you’re_ the mature one here.”

“Look, it’s not Christmas unless we see Santa Claus, Waverly Earp.” Nicole deadpanned, her tone mock serious. “How else is he gonna know you want an Easy Bake oven?”

She laughed openly as Waverly shook her head, rolling her eyes good naturedly as they fell into step side by side.

"Is there anything specific you wanna do now?" Nicole pushed her hands into her pockets, feeling almost nervous as she watched for Waverly’s response. She really didn’t want the evening to end just yet, and she was hoping the brunette was in the same frame of mind.

 _"Well,"_ Waverly smiled sweetly, her eyes flicking up as if in thought. "Since you dragged me to the grotto, I think _you_ should accompany _me_ on a carriage ride around the park." Waverly jumped back, spreading her arms out in a flourish.

Nicole followed the line of the gesture, her brows furrowing slightly as she wondered how on earth she hadn’t noticed _that_ before now.

The carriage was wooden, carved to look like every classic depiction of Santa’s sleigh. The red paint was lined with gold rims, delicate patterns drawn across the side. In place of the sleigh’s usual runners were large spoked wheels, painted gold to match the rim.

The carriage was reindeer drawn. 

She swallowed thickly, her pulse thumping in her ears. 

Just two reindeer, thankfully, not _eight._ But two was _more_ than enough.

Nicole Haught was definitely nervous around large animals, and these were _definitely_ large animals as far as she was concerned. She clenched her jaw and nodded slowly.

 _Damn_ her raging crush, and her inability to deny Waverly _anything_ at this point. 

She stalled, desperate to delay this terror for as long as possible. 

"Do-do you think we should ask Robin?"

Waverly shot a look over her shoulder and Nicole followed her gaze to her colleague and Jeremy, quirking an eyebrow at the overt touches and giggles and flirting that would be recognisable a mile off.

"Nah, you know, I _think_ he'll be good." Waverly grinned, turning back to Nicole.

Nicole’s palms sweated excessively as they approached the carriage, her head feeling light as she tried to control her breathing. It wasn't so much that she was _embarrassed_ by her fear, though that certainly wasn’t _helping._ It was more that she didn’t want to deny this to Waverly. She wanted the brunette to experience everything that would make her happy, and judging by the way Waverly cooed and clicked her tongue adoringly at the reindeer, immediately asking the driver if she could pet them without a moment’s hesitation, this was definitely making her happy.

“Isn’t it so _cute?”_ Waverly cooed, her back to Nicole as she fussed over the animals.

Nicole was significantly less sure.

She hung back slightly, fighting not to jump a mile every time the reindeer so much as grunted, let alone moved a millimetre in her direction. 

"You okay, Nic?"

"What?" Nicole jumped again, her voice unnaturally high. She tried desperately to keep her cool as the reindeer closest to Waverly bowed its head to nuzzle at the brunette’s hand. "Yeah. Yeah, course, why wouldn’t I be?"

Waverly bit her lip, her eyebrow quirking. 

"Are you scared of the reindeer, Haught?"

 _"No!"_

The reindeer grunted, shaking its head, and Nicole could _swear_ the little shit was laughing at her. 

She jumped excessively as it made to step forward, a strangled sound forcing its way from the back of her throat. She clenched her jaw, her heart pounding as it grunted again.

Mugging her _right_ off, this was.

"It's just so _big_ and its teeth are massive and its eyes look like they want to kill me in my sleep."

"Nicole, I've seen _dogs_ bigger than this." Waverly giggled, her eyes warm.

Nicole swallowed. _That_ was a _terrifying_ thought.

"I'm really more of a cat person…"

"I can promise you they won't hurt you, Ma'am. They're big ole softies really." The carriage driver leaned forward, patting the deer on the rear end as he spoke. "Give him a stroke, he'll prove he's harmless."

Nicole forced herself to hold back a scowl. _Wonderful._ Now she’d been given a specific challenge, and to avoid it she would have to verbally admit that she was fucking _terrified_ of this thing that was most definitely hellbent on embarrassing her. And she was _far_ too stubborn for that.

She took a tentative step forward, her knees shaking as she eyeballed the goddamn _monster_ warily.

"Want me to hold your hand to keep you safe?" Waverly grinned.

Nicole scoffed. She opened her mouth to retort, but the sound strangled in her throat as the furry fiend made another, louder grunting noise. She relented with a blush, holding her hand out to the brunette. Waverly beamed reassuringly at her as she linked her fingers through Nicole’s. The way it felt to have Waverly’s hand in her own was _almost_ exhilarating enough to distract Nicole entirely. Almost. Until the brunette used it to tug her dangerously close to the antlered demon.

Nicole took a deep breath, her free hand shaking as she lifted it above the reindeer. She felt Waverly squeeze her fingers, the tingles that shot up her arm at the brunette’s touch distracting her _ever_ so slightly once again, for the very briefest of moments. She exhaled slowly, bringing her hand down to hover above the reindeer’s back.

She touched it.

For a millisecond, before recoiling immediately and jumping as far back as Waverly’s grasp would allow her, her chest heaving with adrenaline.

 _"Nic…"_ Waverly laughed loudly, her free arm folded across her stomach as she tried to control her amusement.

 _"What,_ I did it?" Nicole retorted, her brows creased indignantly.

"Just get in the carriage, you dingbat."

“That shit’s not gonna start flying, is it?” Nicole raised an eyebrow, keeping her expression deadpan as she pointed disdainfully at the reindeer.

Waverly laughed, rolling her eyes as she nudged Nicole with her hip, pushing her forward to climb into the carriage. Nicole’s heart was still hammering in her chest, and her pulse still thrummed almost uncomfortably in her ears. She was reluctantly prepared to admit that on some level that was still down to the adrenaline from her life threatening experience, but she was pretty sure that it actually had considerably more to do with the fact that Waverly hadn't let go of her hand.

With the brunette’s fingers wrapped in her own, and her body pressed against her side on the small bench, Nicole had to admit that the carriage ride was _much_ more enjoyable than she expected. If she just didn’t look at the horror that was pulling them.

The ride was pretty, passing slowly round the lights and some of the biggest displays on the street and in the park. Waverly was gleeful, pointing out lights and murmuring anecdotes about various parts of the town and the people they passed. She sank further into Nicole’s side as she relaxed, and the redhead struggled more than ever to take her eyes off of her.

Waverly continued to chat away happily as they bought drinks and snacks, and wandered the town as they ate. The redhead was so entranced that she barely noticed them arrive at the doors of Shorty’s Bar. She blinked as they slowed to a stop beneath the old wooden sign, and her heart sank slightly as she processed that the night was ending. Waverly turned to face her, her eyes shining with something Nicole didn’t recognise as they searched her own.

"Thank you for tonight, Nic."

Waverly spoke softly, barely above a whisper, and something in the tone set every nerve in Nicole’s body alight.

"I didn't really know how much I needed it, but…" Waverly chuckled softly, almost shy. "I had a really great time."

Nicole exhaled shakily. She was pretty sure she could feel her heart swell harder as her feelings grew instantly stronger in that moment.

"Me too. I always do with you." She shrugged, returning the shy smile as she felt a blush reach her cheeks.

Waverly bit her lip, taking a hesitant step forward. Nicole’s stomach lurched into her throat, her heart pounding somewhere in her ears.

The brunette eased up onto her tiptoes, her hands finding the redhead’s shoulders as she leaned in slowly. Nicole forgot how to breathe.

The redhead’s eyes fluttered closed, the flush in her cheek deepening as unbearably soft lips pressed against it.

A kiss on the cheek.

It was _just_ a kiss on the cheek, the touch lingering for the briefest of moments, before it was gone.

So why did Nicole’s blood feel scalding in her veins, and why were her knees trembling _so_ hard? 

Waverly smiled shyly as she pulled back, dropping her gaze for an endearing moment.

 _"Night, Waves,"_ Nicole hushed on an awed breath.

Waverly’s eyes flicked back to Nicole’s, something more playful behind them as she took in the redhead’s flustered state. She grinned as she turned to push open the saloon doors.

"Night, Nic."


	5. Christmas Miracle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always to everyone who is reading and leaving the love on this fluff fest. I cannot say enough how amazing it feels to get the comments and kudos and twitter engagement for my writing. It's a fantastic feeling that I don't want to end, so thank you.
> 
> I hope you're all feeling festive and 2020 isn't battering you too hard.
> 
> Much love, and happy Sunday!

Nicole wiped the back of her hand across her forehead, knowing that all she was really doing was swapping the gentle perspiration for dust and smeared lines of grease. The house was empty once more, Robin and Dolls having left for the night three or four hours previously - Nicole had lost count. They'd stayed late for the second night in a row; pizzas and curries and noodles having sustained them long into the evenings as they'd painted walls and sealed windows and waxed floors. She definitely owed her team one hell of a bonus this year.

She glanced at the clock. 

2:03am. 

She knew she needed to go home. She was starting to feel almost delirious as she pulled the wax covered roller over the hardwood floors, but she felt _right_ on the cusp of a turning point, and she was determined to see this through. The homestead had a lot still to be done, but the most disruptive of tasks were finally complete, and if Nicole could just finish off the last of the painting and the waxing that had been done tonight, then just maybe the Earps could move in this weekend. 

They'd have to share the space for a while; deal with Nicole and her team around for another couple of weeks, but they could likely make a comfortable home in more than enough time for Christmas. 

The thought spurred her on. She imagined the look on Waverly’s face as she saw the developments since she had last visited two days ago. She imagined the sparkle in hazel eyes as the brunette realised that her home was her own again. For the _first_ time, really.

Nicole sighed, wiping her brow once more. _That_ was why she was here. She would never have worked an eighteen hour day for any other client, and she damn well knew it. Nor would she have for Wynonna, as fond as she was of the older Earp. The self destructive, definitely unhealthy, probably illegal, and downright _insane_ hours that the redhead had put in this week were for Waverly, and Waverly alone.

Her feelings for the youngest Earp had been growing rapidly deeper the more time she spent with the brunette, and the more messages they exchanged, the more notifications her phone gave her that Waverly was tagging her, mentioning her, sending her memes and gifs and links. _Thinking_ of her.

If it was anywhere near as much as Nicole thought of Waverly... 

_If I'm gonna have a real Christmas then I need to fall in love. Proper love, not like when I hold hands with Megan Wilson at playtime._

_So that's my number 8._

_8- To fall in love._

Nicole knew she was in trouble. She had set out to give Waverly Earp everything on her childhood Christmas list, but she knew only too well that _she_ was the one being hit hard and way too fast with a solid number eight.

She shook her head, her tired eyes blurring as she tried to focus on the task left to complete. Another hour, she reckoned. One hour, and then she could sleep easy knowing that she'd done what she needed to for the Earps to come home. 

Nicole crawled into bed at 3:45am, bone tired and slightly delirious, but grinning ear to ear with self satisfaction as she pulled the blankets up around her shoulders and drifted instantly into a deep sleep.

She woke at 9am, unrefreshed and aching in every muscle, but too excited to let her screaming body rest any longer. She grabbed her phone, typing a message to both Waverly and Wynonna, telling them to meet her at the homestead at lunchtime. She sent a second message to her team, telling them not to expect her for a couple of hours. She had something she needed to do.

She showered and dressed at record speed, belting out Christmas songs as she rushed around her bedroom, driven by a heady mix of excitement, adrenaline, and a definite hangover of overtired delirium.

She was at the store by 10am, pushing through the doors with the biggest cart she could find. She filled it with Christmas lights of _every_ possible kind. String lights, wicker weaved novelty lights, stake lights, shaped window lights, hanging icicle lights. Coloured lights, white lights, blue LED. Classy, tacky, garish. 

She only had one criteria.

_To have a big light display on my house like Chrissy Nedley always has. Mr Nedley says it's like paying for the electricity bill for all of Manhattan. Mine doesn't need to be that big. Maybe just like Purgatory not like Manhattan._

It needed to be enough for a Real Christmas.

The bill hurt, to be honest, but it was worth it.

She loaded them all into the under stairs cupboard in the homestead, only just managing to get the door closed with a helpful shove from Robin.

She was crouched in the entrance hallway, fixing the brand new skirting boards when the crunch over gravel alerted her to the Earps' arrival. She glanced around at her team, exchanging nervous smiles as she pulled herself to her feet, wiping her hands down on her overalls. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as the door handle turned.

The sisters halted in the hallway, Wynonna slightly ahead of Waverly. There was a long moment of silence, as both took in the difference in the walls and the flooring around them.

"Oh my _god,_ Nicole…" 

The redhead swallowed. Wynonna _never_ called her by her first name, and there was something achingly more earnest than usual in those blue eyes that made the sting of tears prickle behind Nicole’s overtired eyes.

"Dude, this is _incredible,_ how did you…" Wynonna’s voice was unsteady, her eyes misty as she searched Nicole’s face incredulously. _"When_ did you…?"

Nicole shrugged, a soft smile spreading across her face. She didn't know what to say. She didn't want the praise. Didn't need it. All she'd wanted was for Waverly to have her home.

"I _knew_ there was a reason I hired you, Haught stuff." Wynonna laughed, grabbing Nicole’s face with both hands and pulling it down to plant a messy kiss on the top of her head. She pointed at Robin and Dolls. "And you two! I am buying all of you a drink tonight." 

Nicole chuckled softly as she watched the older Earp bound off into the house, her footsteps thumping heavily on the hardwood floors. She took a deep breath, her fingers trembling with her nerves as she turned back to Waverly. The brunette was yet to say anything, and her silence had Nicole’s stomach in knots. Waverly was simply watching the redhead’s face, her wide eyes misted with something Nicole had never seen in them before. She wasn't sure how to read it, and the anxiety was stifling in her chest. 

"Wave…?"

The silence was almost painful, and she needed to break it. Needed Waverly to say something. _Anything._

"You look so tired." Waverly's voice was small. So quiet that the break in it could barely be heard. 

Well that wasn’t quite the response she’d been expecting.

 _"Wow,_ thanks." Nicole chuckled nervously.

"You… you stayed up." The break was clearer this time. "You stayed up to do this for us."

Nicole shrugged, nodding her head slowly.

"I just… I wanted you to be able to spend Christmas at home."

The way the brunette was looking at her was completely knocking Nicole for six, and she had no idea what to do or what to say. Or what it meant. Everything that she felt for the younger Earp, and every hour that she'd spent working for Waverly on this house suddenly felt laid bare before the brunette somehow, and she felt exposed. Vulnerable.

"I-I don't know what to say," Waverly whispered.

"You don't have to say anything." Nicole smiled, her tone soft to match Waverly’s. "You want the tour?"

Waverly beamed, watery eyes sparkling as she nodded. Nicole led her through the house, something almost reminiscent of the very first time they'd met. Not long ago _at all_ , and yet it felt like forever. The stark difference in the homestead certainly made it _look_ like forever.

Nicole saved Waverly’s bedroom for last. The brunette visibly lit up as the door swung open and she stepped into her childhood bedroom. Tears welled in her eyes, and she beamed brightly as she turned to face the redhead, her eyes searching Nicole’s own.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For doing _so_ much _more_ than your job."

"Honestly, I'd do anything to make you happy."

The words were out before she'd thought them through, and Nicole swallowed thickly as Waverly’s eyes widened, her lips parting slightly in surprise. Before Nicole could open her mouth to explain, or to backtrack, or to dig herself a giant metaphorical hole, Waverly shot up onto her tiptoes as she threw her arms around the redhead’s shoulders, pulling her tight against her body. Nicole huffed out a soft chuckle, hesitating only for a moment before she wrapped her arms firmly around the brunette’s waist.

It was the first time that Nicole had ever been so close to Waverly, and she felt a little overwhelmed with the warmth of the brunette’s body, the way her hands clutched at the muscles of her back, and the irresistible scent of coconut and sunflowers and something that was just so indescribably _Waverly_ that it made her head swim.

Nicole exhaled shakily as she felt the grip around her shoulders loosen, and the shift of the brunette’s body as she began to pull away. The movement was almost hesitant, the soft skin of Waverly’s cheek brushing gently over Nicole’s as she pulled back, raising goosebumps over the redhead’s body. Hazel eyes met deep mocha, their faces closer still than they ever had been, and Nicole’s breath hitched in her throat as the air seemed to thicken. There was no movement; no flicking of eyes to lips, and no visible lean that would suggest that a kiss was in any way on the cards, but there was _something_ stilted in the air that just felt like a _maybe_...

"Shit, Waves, have you _seen_ the shower? It's like rain!"

The door slammed on its hinges as Wynonna burst into the room, and Waverly shot back, a deep blush colouring her cheeks as she dropped her gaze bashfully from Nicole’s.

Like a bubble had been burst.

 _That_ was the something. The maybe.

Nicole pressed her hand to her stomach, subconsciously working to still the butterflies that beat at the brunette’s abashed state and its possible implications. A maybe. Another almost. _Maybe._

"You guys explore a bit, yeah?" She smiled softly, stepping back as she gestured for Waverly to join her sister. "I'll be back downstairs."

"Thank you, Nic," Waverly murmured, her eyes and her voice earnest as she fixed her gaze on Nicole’s. "From both of us."

Nicole watched as Waverly followed her sister from the room, giving a lopsided grin as the brunette glanced once more over her shoulder.

_Maybe..._

Fuck.

 _Fuck,_ she was done for.

When the Earp sisters found her again, Nicole was back in the entrance hall with the skirting. She beamed as Waverly skipped down the stairs, Wynonna hot on her heels. 

"Happy?"

"Incredibly! _You_ are…" Waverly trailed off, waving her hands around as she searched for the right words. She grinned. "Kind of a Christmas miracle really, aren’t you?"

Nicole blushed, shaking her head bashfully.

"I told you, I have a _really_ great team." She grinned, pulling herself up and wiping her hands on her overalls. "I uh… I have a surprise for you. Both of you. I don't know how you're gonna feel about it, but…"

She chuckled nervously as both sisters raised their eyebrows, Wynonna's eyes reading cautious, whilst Waverly's shone with that spark of intrigue that Nicole loved so much. She beckoned for them to follow, watching nervously for Waverly’s reaction as she pulled back the door to the under stairs cupboard.

"Christmas lights?" Waverly quirked an eyebrow, her lips curling instantly into a beaming grin.

"If you're gonna move in for the holidays, better make it look like it, right?" Nicole grinned.

“You are _such_ a giant child,” Waverly laughed, shoving Nicole’s side playfully with her shoulder. She held the redhead’s gaze, letting her little finger catch Nicole’s for a lingering moment as she spoke, her voice softer this time. “And you are the best person I know, Nicole Haught.”

Nicole’s heart lurched into her throat. She could swear she could physically feel the words whisper over her skin, raising goosebumps in their wake. The soft touch lit a fire in her stomach; so small, so simple, and yet its implications were catatonic for the redhead’s pulse rate, her mind swimming as her blood beat in her ears.

 _What_ did _this_ mean?

The _maybe_ almost kiss, the soft looks, the lingering touches, the words…

Nicole was starting to feel light headed, and yet somehow Waverly’s gaze managed to ground her all at the same time.

“Well, it is cold as balls out there!" Wynonna hooked her thumb in gesture toward the door. "So I am baggsying the windows in here!” 

“Looks like it’s you and me then, Haught.” Waverly winked, her eyes dancing with mischief as she grabbed a box, passing _much_ closer to Nicole than she really needed to as she headed for the door.

Nicole heard her own swallow. She was hyper aware of the blush that burned the tips of her ears as she fought desperately not to stare at the way Waverly’s hips swung as she walked, or the way her jeans clung tightly to the curves of her ass.

Jesus, she was a mess today.

Was she just overtired, or was Waverly _definitely_ flirting with her right now?

The brunette was pushing all of her buttons, and she couldn’t help but feel like just _maybe_ it was intentional. She shook her head, pointedly ignoring Wynonna’s smug smirk and wriggling eyebrows as she grabbed a box and followed Waverly out of the front door.

The display took them _hours._ The day was starting to grow dark, the evening closing in around them as they worked, and Nicole hadn't been able to feel her fingers for at least two hours. Yet she barely noticed. She barely noticed the biting cold, or the dying of the light, or the fact that Wynonna had disappeared from the windows a _really_ long time ago. She was enjoying herself. And more, she was enjoying the way that Waverly’s tongue poked out into the corners of her lips as she concentrated, the way she would coo over the cuter items, and the way she would clap her hands together with giddy self satisfaction as they completed another part of the display. They really seemed to make a great team. String lights now covered the house, and there was a whole host of novelty lights strewn across the front lawn. A large sleigh and reindeer with lights woven into the wickerwork, and a family of penguins of all sizes with skis and poles, and a snowman holding a smaller one up in the air. There were lights _everywhere,_ over the house and the roof and the lawn.

Waverly was currently whistling away as she fixed the last of the icicle lights that they had suspended from the roof overhang, balancing on the ladder as she reached out to secure the pins.

Nicole started as Waverly stretched out just a little too far, the ladder wobbling beneath her under the imbalance. The brunette yelped, her hands flying to the side rails as the ladder swayed. 

She was only a few rungs up. It wouldn't have been far, and she likely would have stabilised anyway, but Nicole was one step ahead. 

She moved instinctively, pressing her body close behind the brunette to hold her still, her arms landing either side of Waverly as she gripped the ladder with both hands.

She could feel the brunette’s torso heaving against her own chest, her breath coming hard as she recovered from the adrenaline of the near miss. The redhead’s lips curled into a lopsided grin as she felt Waverly chuckle, and the brunette turned her face back to meet Nicole’s eyes as she thanked her.

For the second time in just hours, Nicole found herself closer than expected to Waverly, the brunette’s breath _just_ hitting her lips as she huffed out a chuckle. Nicole’s stomach clenched, her breath hitching in her throat at the sensation, and she let her eyes drop to Waverly’s lips. 

She watched in awe, her heart dropping to her stomach as the brunette’s tongue darted out to wet her lips. The movement was so subtle, so quick that Nicole would have missed it if she hadn’t been so transfixed. If they hadn't been _so_ close.

If the air didn’t feel so thick.

This felt like more than a maybe.

She flicked her eyes back to Waverly’s, and her blood seared in her veins at the darkened fire behind them. Interest. Curiosity.

Desire.

This felt like a _definitely._

Waverly smirked; a soft, slow movement of her lips that trickled heat over Nicole’s spine, pooling in her belly in the first sparks of a fire that the redhead was certain could _never_ be tamed once it was lit. Nicole let her own lips tug into the subtle traces of a grin, the space between them growing gradually smaller as they leaned in instinctively. 

This time it was clear _exactly_ where this was going. A soft, playful kind of heat burned between them as they dragged out the movements; basking in the adrenaline of the _almost_ , as their noses brushed feather light against each other. Slow, unhurried. Teasing.

For _too_ long.

For long enough for Wynonna Earp to interrupt them once more.

The bright flashes of every light around them flickered on simultaneously as Wynonna flipped the switch on the generator, the sudden burst of energy snapping through the edges of their bubble, and through the intensity of the air between them.

Nicole couldn't even find it in her to be mad.

She bit her lip, just barely holding back her giddy grin as Waverly giggled, her smile coy but her eyes still playful. 

_Almost._

Nicole exhaled slowly in an effort to calm her racing pulse as she stepped back, allowing Waverly the space to climb down from the ladder. 

_Definitely almost._

There was no denying where they had _both_ intended for that to go, and Nicole’s chest was physically swelling under her elation. This was mutual. Waverly wanted her. At very least had wanted to kiss her. The almost wasn't enough. Nicole needed to seize the moment, just in case it slipped from her grasp.

She opened her mouth to speak. To ask Waverly on a date. To tell her she liked her. To tell her she _definitely_ wanted to try that again away from the interruptions of her sister. But before the words could form on her tongue, Wynonna burst around the corner with a whoop and a cheer, and Nicole couldn’t help but laugh openly at the older Earp's consistently frustrating timing.

“Nice work!" Wynonna shot a single finger gun in Waverly’s direction as she let her eyes roam the extensive display. "It’s like Las Vegas out here!” 

“Or Manhattan.” 

Waverly’s whisper was quiet, muttered softly beneath her breath as though intended only for her own ears. Nicole would have missed it had she not been so close. But she didn’t. She heard it, and the words warmed her cold-numb skin as they wrapped around her.

_Mr Nedley says it's like paying for the electricity bill for all of Manhattan._

The brunette wrapped her arms around herself for a moment as she twirled around, taking in the display that was drastically more impressive now that the lights flickered in the dark. 

Then she slipped her hand into Nicole’s, linking their fingers and squeezing gently, before dragging her back to the edge of the lawn to see the display head on.

Nicole couldn’t tear her gaze from Waverly. Couldn’t force her eyes away from the beaming smile and the soft glow of elation that radiated from the brunette. She wanted nothing more than to take that _almost_ and make it a _now_. An _always._

An always?

Nicole grinned at her own uselessly smitten state.

Maybe just starting with a date would be a less terrifying concept to approach the brunette with.

"Hey, Waves...” Nicole dropped her voice, leaning into Waverly’s side as she murmured just loud enough for the brunette to hear her. “I know you’re gonna be busy for a bit now moving in, and I’ll help as much as you need with that but, uh… what are you doing on Monday night?"

Waverly grinned as she looked up at Nicole’s face, her eyes reflecting every ounce of the nervous excitement that bounced in the redhead’s own stomach.

"I'm kind of hoping you're about to tell me," she murmured.

Nicole quirked an eyebrow, smirking playfully.

“What if I tell you I want to keep it a surprise?”

Waverly raised her eyebrows, shaking her head slightly in awe as a slow smile spread wide across her face.

“Then... I _think_ I could keep it free.” She grinned, her fingers squeezing gently over Nicole’s once more. 

"Now _this_ is a house we can spend the holidays in, right Babygirl?" Wynonna wrapped her arm around the brunette's shoulder as she appeared beside her, pulling her in tightly.

Waverly beamed, leaning her head on her sister’s shoulder, her fingers still linked with Nicole’s. Her thumb stroked gentle patterns over the back of the redhead’s hand that felt like _fire_ for all the havoc they were wreaking in Nicole’s chest and her stomach, and she wondered briefly if the brunette knew what she was doing to her. 

"Know what this place is gonna need, though?" Nicole grinned, wriggling her eyebrows. 

"Furniture? Appliances? Kitchenware?" Waverly deadpanned, her eyes betraying her playful tease. 

"Well, yes…" Nicole nodded with a chuckle. "But more _importantly…_ a Christmas tree."

"Nicole Haught, your priorities are all kinds of strange." Waverly laughed, tugging on the redhead’s hand to pull her a little tighter against her side. Then she jumped upright, her pitch higher and her eyes wide with excitement. _"Oh my god,_ are we going back to Holliday's? Can we go now?"

Hazel eyes flicked hopefully between Nicole and Wynonna, and the redhead couldn't help but laugh. She shrugged, nodding her head in Wynonna’s direction. 

"Yeah, why not." Wynonna grinned, throwing a wink in her sister's direction. "Probably about time I paid Mr Holliday a visit myself."

Waverly squealed.

“I’ll get my purse!"

Nicole watched as Waverly skipped into the house, her enthusiastic excitement endlessly endearing as always. She could feel Wynonna’s eyes on her long before she turned to meet them, and she swallowed thickly at the knowing glint within them.

“Who is _that_ and what have you done with the Waverly who spends Christmas buried in her history books?” Wynonna grinned, her tone hovering undecidedly between earnest and teasing. "You really _are_ a fucking Christmas Miracle, aren’t you Haught?” 

She chuckled. 

“Such a goddamn cliche.”


	6. Flailing, Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christmas is nearing! Just two chapters to go means just a week to go!
> 
> Happy holidays all!

Nicole exhaled slowly as she turned her truck onto the road that would lead her to the homestead, her hands trembling as they pulled at the wheel. 

She _really_ wished she'd clarified whether or not this was a date.

It had to be. Surely, right?

After the almost kisses, and the hand holding and the knowing looks, surely it was the natural assumption to make that this would be a date?

She groaned. _Why_ hadn't she just said it? 

_Come on a date with me._

How hard would that have been?

She sighed, her mind flicking to the cardboard box that she had stashed carefully beneath the passenger seat for the umpteenth time. 

_To go and ice skate on the pond in the town. I would need skates though so they have to go on my list too._

She hoped the tiny looking figure skates would fit Waverly. And that it wasn't as creepy as it felt that she had made a deliberate point to note the brunette’s shoe size as she'd helped her move into the homestead.

She’d been wanting to do this. Hoping that she would get the chance, but it had always felt like the kind of thing that she would need Waverly's trust before she could do. There was a vulnerability in learning something new like this, but particularly when Nicole knew; had seen in hazel eyes at the Santa parade, that this still _meant_ something to Waverly. 

_I don't have anyone to hold my hand in case I fall. I wish it could be empty for a little bit so I can try._

She’d been to the pond beforehand and checked it wasn’t too busy. The last thing she wanted to do was put Waverly into the exact situation her younger self had feared, and take her stumbling onto the ice amongst the swerving teens. It was late - 8:30pm, dark and cold despite the warm lights that surround the ice, and there had been only one other couple when she had passed.

She couldn’t help the nagging feeling of guilt that had tugged at her chest more than once lately. Guilt that she knew more than she should do. The words on the letter had told her more than Waverly had chosen to, and more than the brunette _knew_ that it had, and it was starting to feel like an uncomfortable lie. But Nicole hadn't changed her mind. She just did not want to push Waverly into something that she wasn't quite ready to share, and now more than ever she needed to let the brunette set the pace between them.

She beamed immediately at the twinkle and flicker of the thousands of lights that filled her eyes as she pulled into the Homestead driveway.

Definitely the electricity bill of Manhattan. 

Her smile softened, her chest warming at the gentle glow that emanated from inside the house. The darkness that had always surrounded it felt completely diminished with the life that shone inside it now. Nicole sat for a moment, letting the engine run over as she tried to compose herself.

 _God_ , she was nervous.

She had fantasised numerous times of this evening. Of holding Waverly's hands as she took her first few tentative steps onto the ice. Of the brunette’s unsurpassable smile as they start to fly around the pond. Maybe a soft kiss under the glow of the fairy lights. Hopelessly romantic. 

Although, granted, in every one of her daydreams it had been indisputably a definite date.

_Fuck._

She slammed her eyes shut as she threw her head back against the seat, her nerves hammering hard in her chest. _What_ was happening right now? She had never been this nervous around any woman before, and this was _really_ not the time to start. This one mattered. A _lot._

She jumped, jerking her head forward as the truck door flew open and Waverly bounded into the cab, all bright eyes and flushed cheeks and almost painful beauty that clenched immediately in Nicole’s chest. She beamed.

“Thought you might be planning to stay out here all night,” Waverly grinned, her tone teasing. She let her eyes drift openly between Nicole’s own, then down over her dimples, and settle briefly on her parted lips.

Nicole swallowed. 

Three seconds. Waverly Earp had twisted her stomach into a giant knot of nerves and unmitigated arousal in three fucking seconds.

 _God,_ she hoped this was a date.

“Just... admiring the lights,” she croaked.

She blushed, the knowing spark in Waverly’s eyes telling her that the brunette knew full well that it was a lie.

Embarrassing, really, and yet she couldn’t help but love that Waverly just seemed to really _see_ her. To see straight through her. She couldn’t hide, and to be honest, she didn't want to.

She grinned as Waverly switched on the stereo, flicking the buttons on the control panel until she found a Christmas song.

Nicole was quiet as she drove into the town, her nerves fluttering in her stomach and tightening her chest as they neared their destination. She pulled up beside the park, the lights of the pond visible beyond the wrought iron fence. By some small goddamn miracle the rink was empty, the lights shimmering on the frozen surface. Nicole turned her gaze to Waverly, her heart in her throat as she watched the realisation sink into the brunette's eyes. Their colour shifted; confusion, to realisation, to excitement, to fear, to quiet apprehension. 

“A-are we skating?” She whispered. 

“If you want to.” Nicole waited for hazel eyes to meet her own, keeping her voice firm and steady. _“Only_ if you want to.”

Waverly took a shaky breath, her eyes flicking between Nicole’s and the pond beside them.

“I-I can’t. I-I’ve never…”

She waved her hands in the direction of the pond, her voice unsteady for a moment, and Nicole felt her heart sink as she processed that maybe this was too much. Maybe she should have just _asked_ her. But then the brunette smiled softly, seeming to resign herself, as she shrugged shyly.

“I don’t have skates.”

"I, uh…" Nicole blushed, rubbing her hand on the back of her neck nervously. "Look under your seat."

Waverly’s brows furrowed in confusion as she reached beneath the seat, pulling out the cardboard box. Her eyes widened as she flipped the lid, and her lips trembled slightly as she stared, unblinking at the contents.

“Wh-what…”

“Wynonna told me you’d never been," Nicole murmured nervously. "I wanted to be prepared.”

Waverly's voice was so soft, so gentle that Nicole barely heard her, but the whispered words of thanks were just enough to settle the redhead’s racing heart.

Waverly trailed a finger lightly along the blade and over the simple stitching across the skates, her eyes filled with childlike wonder even through the wary caution that still gripped her tight jaw and her tense shoulders. She shot one more apprehensive look past Nicole to the shimmering pond, and took a visibly deep, audibly shaky breath. 

“I’ll stay right beside you, Wave.” Nicole offered the brunette a soft smile, reaching beneath her seat for her own hockey skates, holding them up to Waverly in confirmation that she would be on the ice alongside her.

Waverly nodded, her shaking hands and trembling lips a heady mix of excitement and trepidation as they climbed out of the truck and made their way through the iron gates toward the bench that sat beside the pond. Waverly beamed, a tiny giggle escaping her lips as she tightened the laces, the skates fitting perfectly around her sock-clad feet. She was a little unsteady as she stood, gripping immediately to Nicole’s arm as she struggled to adjust her balance to the pierce of the blades on the packed down snow.

Nicole stepped confidently onto the ice, making a deliberately cocky show of looping a figure of eight before skidding to a halt in front of Waverly, her dimples popped in full force as she gave the brunette her cheekiest grin.

"What’s the worst that can happen, Earp?"

She held her hand out, encouraging Waverly to take it as the brunette shuffled tentatively toward the edge.

“Well that’s easy for _you_ to say, Wayne Gretzky,” Waverly scoffed, wobbling precariously on her feet without the redhead’s arm to grip onto. “Some of us aren’t accustomed to having _knives_ for feet.”

Nicole chuckled at the dated reference. Adorable. She edged closer, enabling the brunette to finally grasp her hand in her own. Waverly took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on Nicole’s as she stepped forward, her blades hitting the ice for the first time.

_“Shit!”_

She flailed the moment she left the snowy bank, landing on her ass faster than Nicole could react to catch her, their fingers still linked together. 

The brunette huffed out a heavy sigh.

“Well this looks a _lot_ easier than it is.”

“You okay?” Nicole crouched down beside her, guilt twisting in her chest that she'd not prevented the fall.

“Yeah…" Waverly giggled as she nodded. "Might have a bruise on my ass and my ego, but that feels inevitable to be honest.” 

Nicole breathed a sigh of relief, chuckling as she stood upright. She held her hands out for Waverly once more. 

“No-one in history has _ever_ learned to skate with grace and poise, Earp.” Nicole grinned, tugging Waverly to her feet with effortless strength. “Flailing, falling and stumbling is the only way. Come on Bambi, I’ll show you how.”

The air around them was bitter, biting into their fingers and their cheeks as Nicole showed Waverly how to glide her feet, but she didn't notice the cold. She couldn’t possibly, with the heat of her blood searing in her veins at the way that Waverly’s body curled against her own as she sought stability, or the way the brunette’s fingers gripped on her arms, or her shoulders, or fisted into the front of her jacket as she fought to keep her balance. The space between them was minimal at all times, and Nicole was struggling to focus on the movement of the brunette’s feet, and not on the way the few falling snowflakes clung to her eyelashes, or the way the fairy lights glimmered in the caramel waves of her hair.

She grinned, linking the fingers of both hands through Waverly’s as she started to glide slowly backwards, her arms extended to give the brunette room to move. She picked up a little more speed, chuckling softly as Waverly’s eyes widened and her grip on Nicole’s fingers tightened.

 _"Nic…"_ Waverly’s voice was strained, and she flicked panicked eyes rapidly between her stumbling feet and Nicole’s reassuring eyes.

"Just keep your eyes on mine, Wave." Nicole's voice was firm but soft, her fingers squeezing the brunette’s hands gently. "Don't overthink it."

Waverly nodded slowly, her eyes filled with both awe and trepidation as they fixed warmly on Nicole’s, her lips trembling slightly as she tried to keep her breathing steady. The movements were a little awkward; stiff and slow, and very wobbly, but as the brunette relaxed into them, they _definitely_ started to resemble more of a glide and less of a stumble.

The trepidation in hazel eyes shifted, morphing slowly into subtle pride, and the tight lipped concentration gave way to a beaming smile that sent cartwheeling butterflies straight through Nicole’s stomach. 

Waverly was more beautiful tonight than she had _ever_ been, and Nicole couldn’t focus on a single thing that wasn't the brunette's lips or her eyes on her own.

“Shit, _Nic,_ the edge!”

Waverly’s panicked voice startled Nicole into action, and she yelped as she realised just how close they were to the pond bank. She moved quickly. She tugged the brunette against her body, her arms slipping around her waist to hold her upright as she pivoted them on the ice, the move gliding them safely away from the pond bank and back toward the centre of the rink.

"Well, _fuck…"_ Waverly huffed out a laugh, a little disorientated and a lot impressed as Nicole slowly extended her arms out once more, both a little breathless with the adrenaline. "Show off," the brunette grinned.

Nicole laughed, wriggling her eyebrows mischievously as she loosened her grip on Waverly’s hands, pushing herself _just_ out of the brunette’s reach as she skated backwards. 

“No! Wait, _Nicole..."_ Waverly’s pitch was high, her legs immediately tensing and the stumble returning to her movements as she panicked without the stability of the redhead’s hold, her eyes flicking back to her skates and the lines they carved into the ice. "Haught, _get back here_ , I’ll fall…”

"Eyes up here, Earp." Nicole grinned, pointing her fingers at her own face. "Relax, I promise I've still got you."

Waverly’s stuttered protests continued for only moments longer. They bled quickly into broken giggles as she focused all of her efforts on keeping her feet moving, trying desperately to pick up enough speed to reach the safety of Nicole’s hands once more.

The movements were still slow, but Waverly’s panic ebbed away quicker than Nicole had expected as they coasted across the ice, the brunette settling back into the glide of her feet as her muscles relaxed. Nicole was more aware this time of the approaching bank, and she lowered their speed in plenty of time for Waverly to attempt to navigate the bend. She allowed the brunette to close the gap, offering her hands as a lifeline once more. Waverly’s brows furrowed in concentration, her tongue poking out adorably between her lips as she focused on the movements she needed to make to negotiate the change of direction. 

She _almost_ made it, overshooting the movements of her feet _just_ at the last moment, and she gasped, her arms flailing as she started to lose her footing.

Nicole rushed forward, righting Waverly as the brunette stumbled, determined this time to stay true to her word and prevent the fall.

She succeeded.

At the cost of her own balance.

She yelped, her hands flying out behind her as she crashed to the floor, groaning in both pain and in embarrassment.

"Nicole, I am _so_ sorry!" Waverly's voice was muffled as her hands covered her mouth, apologetic eyes wide with concern as she studied the redhead’s grimacing face.

"Hey, nothing to be sorry for." Nicole grinned, shaking her head as the brunette stumbled slowly toward her. "All part of the experience, Earp. I just wanted us to have matching bruises."

"You're adorable, Nicole Haught." Waverly giggled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Here, let me help."

Nicole quirked an eyebrow as Waverly skated slowly into her space. She bit back her amusement as she waited for the brunette’s next move. She wasn't quite sure _how_ Waverly planned to help her up when she could barely hold her own weight above the ice, but she was perfectly keen to see her try.

Waverly dropped to her knees, shuffling forward between the redhead’s spread eagled legs. 

_“What_ are you doing?” Nicole giggled, her eyes widening in surprise.

Waverly smirked playfully, mischievous eyes flicking openly to the redhead’s lips. Nicole’s heart dropped, those dangerous embers lighting low in her stomach at the darkened flicker in that hazel gaze.

“I’m gonna kiss you,” Waverly murmured. 

The low words were so forward, so matter of fact that Nicole’s heart froze in her chest, and she couldn’t breathe. 

Certainly couldn't speak.

_Was this really happening?_

She swallowed thickly, her entire body frozen in anticipation as the brunette leaned in.

“Should I stop?” Waverly paused, grinning playfully as she wrapped her fingers into the front of Nicole's coat, holding the redhead just centimeters from her own body.

_No!_

Nicole blinked, fighting to force her brain into gear as she shook her head frantically. 

She reached forward, her eyes not leaving Waverly’s as she wrapped the ends of the brunette’s scarf around her fingers, tugging her in closer.

 _“God_ , no,” she whispered. She grinned as Waverly chuckled.

How was it possible that the air that curled between them could feel this thick, and _this_ intense, and yet it could feel so _natural_ to be this close to Waverly? 

She brushed her nose feather-light over Waverly’s, their lips lingering just millimeters apart. Every cell in Nicole’s body was burning with anticipation and nerves, and yet somehow she felt more at ease than she'd ever felt. She hesitated, her eyes fixed on darkened hazel as she clung to that last teasing moment. The way the tension wrapped tight in the air settled in the base of her spine, and she shivered as she felt the brunette’s trembling breath hit her lips.

She waited, her blood beginning to boil in her veins as she watched hazel eyes flutter closed. She needed Waverly to be the one to take the last step. Needed to know the brunette was in control. Was _sure._

Waverly _finally_ closed the gap, pressing their lips together in the softest, sweetest of kisses, and Nicole’s blood burned, the butterflies in her stomach erupting into goosebumps across her entire body. 

The feeling of Waverly’s lips against her own was indescribable. The kiss was soft, the movements slow as they explored each other almost tentatively, but already the heat that rippled just beneath the surface of it was overwhelming. Nicole's every nerve tingled with giddy elation, and she felt the undeniable arousal pool between her thighs almost immediately.

Waverly’s hands loosened their grip on Nicole’s coat, sliding slowly over the redhead’s shoulders and wrapping around the base of her neck, her fingers tangling in her hair. The move felt infinitely intimate somehow, and Nicole _needed_ to be closer. Needed to feel _more._ Her hands instinctively found their purchase on Waverly’s hips, and she pulled her body flush against her own. The kiss seemed to grow hungrier seamlessly, their lips parting almost simultaneously as it deepened.

Nicole felt Waverly nip playfully at her bottom lip, smiling slightly into the kiss, and her stomach plummeted. Her chest swelled and the apex of her thighs flared with the first flames of unbridled desire at the touch, and the shift in the atmosphere.

From tentative to teasing. 

She responded instinctively, slipping her tongue over the brunette’s lower lip. A playful exploration; not seeking entrance just yet, but it was enough to wipe the smile from Waverly’s face. Nicole smirked into the kiss as she felt the brunette shudder.

When she had imagined a first kiss with Waverly, Nicole had envisioned soft and sweet. A simple, chaste goodnight kiss wrapped in a warm embrace, all blushes and coy smiles.

But _this._

This may have _started_ soft and sweet, but the current that rippled through it was electric, and a simple chaste kiss was instantly not an option. The pull between them was somehow soft and sweet, playful and teasing, bold and _so_ damn _heated_ all at once, and Nicole couldn't even begin to explain how that could be possible.

When Waverly finally slipped her tongue between the redhead’s lips, Nicole knew she was a goner. There was no way on this goddamn Earth that she was ever going to get enough of the heat and the silk and the taste of Waverly Earp's kiss.

Nicole couldn’t begin to say how long she kissed Waverly for. Seconds, minutes, hours… it was anyone's guess. She was aware, somewhere in the back of her mind, of the ice cold water that seeped through the seat of her jeans, numbing her ass and the back of her thighs, but all she could focus on; all she could care about was the feeling of Waverly wrapped in her arms and her lips on her own.

When they finally broke apart, a little breathless and starry eyed, the top of Waverly’s head, and the fabric of Nicole’s jeans were dusted with a thin layer of fresh snow. 

_"Wow…"_ Nicole breathed out a laugh, blushing slightly at the hoarse break in her voice. She grinned, her eyebrow cocking playfully. "You were right, _that_ definitely helped."

Waverly giggled, resting her forehead on Nicole’s as she traced the redhead’s lips with her fingers.

"I'm _very_ glad." 

She leaned forward, sucking Nicole’s lower lip gently into her mouth for the briefest of moments, smirking as the redhead shivered beneath the touch. 

_“Although…"_ She grinned as she pulled back, shaking the snow from the top of her head with an exaggerated wiggle. "My knees are a _little_ numb and I'm pretty sure I've got frostbite.”

“And I may never feel my ass again." Nicole grimaced.

"Least you won't notice that bruise," Waverly giggled.

"Come on then, Earp," Nicole grinned, planting one last soft, lingering kiss on the brunette’s lips. "Let’s get you home and warmed up.”

"Is there room for a _Haught_ chocolate in that offering?"

Nicole grinned, hoisting Waverly effortlessly to her feet and wrapping her arm around her waist.

"Always."

  
  
  



	7. Found Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are almost at the end of this fic! I hope you're all keeping safe and managing to celebrate the holidays in some way - even if like me, you're in England and are now in lockdown once more.
> 
> Thank you so much for all of the love for this fic, the comments and the kudos and the tweets have been a little ray of sunshine in this bizarre version of the festive season!

Nicole cupped her hand around the head of the match as she lit the candle, shaking it out once the wick flickered with flame. She straightened out the napkins and the cutlery, and wiped non-existent smears from the wine glasses. Waverly was due any minute now, and she wanted everything prepared and ready by the time she arrived, so that she could focus all of her attention on the brunette. 

She had seen Waverly every day this past week as she'd worked on the last of the homestead renovations, and the brunette had been driving her _crazy._ What had started so soft was burning rapidly into an unmanageable fire, and Nicole was beginning to think that Waverly Earp just might be the death of her. Teasing looks and lingering touches, and stolen moments of heated kisses and roaming hands against any closed door possible had worked Nicole higher and higher, and she couldn’t remember ever relieving her frustrations behind the privacy of her own bedroom door quite as often as she had this week.

But despite the stolen moments, Nicole hadn't had the chance to spend any real time alone with Waverly since their first kiss on the pond. The homestead had been bustling, with regular visits from Jeremy as well as the renovation team, and shared mealtimes and evening drinks with the Earp sisters had become a daily occurrence. 

This time there was really no denying that this was a date. Their first _official_ date, and Nicole _really_ wanted it to be perfect. 

The sound of Waverly’s jeep rumbled into the driveway, and she took a quick stock check to calm her nerves. The stew was in the oven, the dessert was setting in the fridge, the candles were lit, the fire was on, and Nicole had checked her own appearance in the mirror more times in the last twenty minutes than she had in the last twenty years.

She smoothed down her shirt for the hundredth time as the brunette’s light footsteps climbed up to the porch, and threw the door back just as Waverly pressed the bell.

"Hey, beaut…"

Nicole’s greeting was halted instantly as Waverly’s lips claimed her own in a heated kiss. Nicole’s head swam already as the brunette pulled back, and she bit down on her lower lip as she fought to regain control of her senses.

"Hey, yourself." Waverly grinned, running the pads of her thumbs over the reddened flush of Nicole’s cheeks.

With one more less than chaste kiss, Waverly bounced past Nicole and into the house, leaving the redhead chuckling softly in the doorway as she tried to compose herself.

Waverly Earp would _definitely_ be the death of her.

"I uh…" Nicole bit her lip, determined to take some level of control back in this situation before she melted into a completely useless puddle of flustered arousal. She grinned as she pointed through the door to the open plan living space. "I made us dinner." 

Waverly’s eyes misted as Nicole led her through to the table, the edges crinkling with the warmth of her smile.

"Oh my god, Nic..." She traced her fingers lightly over the edge of the table as she took in the set up, the candles, and the scent of garlic and red wine as it drifted from the oven. "You really know how to make a girl melt, don't you, Haught." 

Waverly grinned as she leaned forward on the table, watching as the redhead served the meal. Nicole blushed, thankful that the low candlelight would likely hide the red flush over her neck and the tips of her ears. 

"Just wait til you _taste_ it." She winked.

Nicole couldn't remember ever enjoying a meal more. The food was good, and for that she was eternally thankful for her grandmother's old recipes, but the true joy was the genuine light in Waverly’s eyes and the passion in her voice as she chatted animatedly. The brunette seemed more relaxed than ever as they ate and as they cleared away, sharing stories and asking questions, and making Nicole laugh so much her sides hurt.

"Thank you for dinner, Nic." Waverly wrapped her arms around the redhead’s waist, pulling her into a soft kiss. She grinned. "It was _almost_ as delicious as you are."

"Almost?" Nicole murmured. "I'll have to try better next time."

"I wouldn’t bother." Waverly grinned, nipping lightly at the redhead’s earlobe. _"Nothing_ is as delicious as you are."

Nicole exhaled heavily. She'd thought her body reacted viscerally to Waverly before, but it was truly nothing compared to what it did to her when the brunette’s words were designed to tease her. She _wanted_ to take this slowly, to find their footing before they jumped into bed. But Waverly definitely was _not_ making that an easy feat.

"Why don't you go and pull the curtains and make yourself at home by the fire," Nicole chuckled, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on the brunette’s cheek. "And I will refill the glasses."

Nicole leaned against the counter, her heart light as she watched Waverly make her way to the window. She grinned, shaking her head in disbelief as she turned to refill the glasses.

_How?_

How had she gotten _this_ lucky?

When she turned back, Waverly was leaning against the windowsill, her face close to the glass as she watched the world outside. Nicole smiled softly, placing the glasses down gently on the coffee table as she made her way across the room. She could see the snowflakes dancing over Waverly’s shoulder, and she knew they were the reason for the brunette’s captivation.

The snowfall wasn't heavy, but there was enough to fill the skies, and the flakes that disappeared into the blanket of white over the ground glistened beautifully in the dark and the glow of Nicole’s Christmas lights.

"Watching winter’s butterflies?"

Nicole murmured her words softly as she wrapped her arms around Waverly’s waist, planting a kiss below her ear. The brunette didn't respond for a long moment, simply nuzzling back into Nicole's touch with a soft smile.

Then she grinned, turning in the redhead’s arms with a bounce as she wriggled her eyebrows. 

"Wanna go build a snowman?" 

Nicole grinned.

"Race ya."

Waverly’s giggles were contagious, and both fought for breath as they raced to pull coats and boots and gloves and hats on, clawing at each other’s clothing to get ahead as they rushed through the door and down the porch steps. 

Waverly whooped and cheered as she jumped onto the snow covered lawn a step ahead of Nicole, throwing her arms up in a smug celebration. The sound of triumph bled quickly into a frantic squeal as the redhead wrapped her arms around Waverly’s shoulders and threw her weight downwards, sending them both thudding into the snow.

"You _fuck_ ," Waverly cried, writhing beneath Nicole’s body as the cold snow enveloped her. _"Such_ a sore loser."

"I slipped." Nicole grinned, kissing the brunette’s already cold reddened nose.

"You're a _child,"_ Waverly retorted. She brushed her nose over Nicole’s, her gloved fingers clutching at the back of the redhead’s neck. She grinned. "Now get off me, I wanna play in the snow."

It took them ages, between the kisses and the snowballs and the frantic hunt for the perfect eyes and arms, but by the time Waverly wriggled her bobble hat onto the top of their second snowman, Nicole had to admit they were pretty impressive. Both were three giant snowballs tall, each balanced perfectly on top of the other, and Waverly had managed to slot the stick arms together so that it looked like the snowmen held hands.

"We make a pretty good team, Waverly Earp." Nicole grinned, wrapping her arms around the brunette’s waist as she stepped back to survey their work.

"We certainly do!" Waverly beamed, leaning back to plant a soft kiss on the underside of Nicole’s jaw. "What're we naming our snowmen?”

“They are snow _people_ , Miss Earp,” Nicole scolded playfully. “Let’s not be feeding the patriarchy now.”

 _"Very_ true!" Waverly giggled. "Frosty and Olaf?"

“Snowsè and Alejandsnow.” Nicole grinned. _"Ooh,_ Snowverly and Nicold."

“You are honestly an idiot." Waverly laughed, her stomach shaking against the redhead’s arms with her giggles. "But you are the most adorable human being on the planet.” 

"I dunno about that, Snowverly is pretty cute."

"Snowverly is not a _human_." 

Nicole gasped.

 _"How dare you?_ She has _feelings."_

She pulled back, her eyes wide with mock appall as she spun Waverly around to face her. 

"She doesn't have ears, she can't hear me," Waverly whispered, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she wrapped her arms around the redhead’s waist. 

_"What?"_

Nicole raised an eyebrow, making a deliberate show of leaning past the brunette to study the snowman. Waverly giggled, tugging at the redhead’s coat as she stared, unmoving, for several long moments. Finally she shrugged, nodding slowly to indicate her acceptance of the fact that no, Snowverly did not have ears. 

"Well that's a design fail." She grinned. “Shall we make them a dog?”

“Snowver?” Waverly quirked an eyebrow.

"Wysnowna."

Waverly’s eyes crinkled so hard that Nicole couldn’t hold her gaze, and she was pretty sure she would _never_ get tired of the sound of those giggles.

"As _ridiculously_ cute as you are…" Waverly smirked, wrapping her hands around the back of Nicole’s neck. “I think I would _much_ rather get back inside and have you warm me up."

"Oh yeah?" Nicole brushed her lips lightly over the brunette’s, dropping her voice to a deliberate teasing husk. "You wanna go eat dessert by the fireplace?"

Waverly quirked an eyebrow.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Haught?"

"Well… in the long run, _yes."_

Nicole laughed, catching Waverly's wrist as the giggling brunette moved to slap her chest in reprimand.

"But right _now,_ no." She grinned. "I made fudge cake."

❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅🎄❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅

Euphoria.

There really was no other word that Nicole could think of that would more accurately describe the way it felt to lounge on the couch in her sweats, with Waverly Earp curled into her arms. For all the heated kisses and the lingering touches they had shared this past week, this felt infinitely more intimate. A slower, softer moment just to _be_ together for the first time. To feel the comfort of each other’s weight wrapped around them, and to familiarise themselves with the hands and the fingertips and the soft lips that explored _just_ the right side of innocent.

_Just._

Nicole _definitely_ couldn’t deny that the way Waverly’s fingers traced the curve of her hip beneath her shirt had her skin prickled with goosebumps, and the first searing flames of arousal trickling between her thighs.

“I got a tiny reindeer in my Advent Calendar today," Waverly murmured, her breath hot on Nicole’s lips as she brushed her own lightly over them.

She kissed her softly, the heat purling just below the surface, before trailing her lips lightly over the redhead’s jawline.

“Yeah?” Nicole chuckled, low and breathy. It never failed to impress her how many cogs could turn in Waverly’s mind at any one time. 

“Mmhmm.”

The brunette placed a heated kiss beneath the curve of Nicole’s jaw, torturous fingertips slipping slowly up over her ribcage. Nicole’s eyes fluttered closed, her breathing growing shaky as Waverly’s lips mapped their way up, teasing the shell of the redhead’s ear. 

“It was so cute I cried.”

Nicole laughed, feeling the brunette’s lips curl into a playful smirk against her skin. How could those words be so _soft,_ while those lips burned so hot?

“It’s really impressive, you know.” Waverly husked, her fingers dancing _just_ below the curve where Nicole’s ribs met her breast. "How good you are with your hands."

Nicole shuddered. She knew full well that those words and the touch that accompanied them were deliberate. Designed, once again, to tease her. It both frustrated and aroused her to no end that it was _working._ This fire between them was new; sparks and embers, and yet Nicole was already well and truly putty in the brunette’s hands. She swallowed hard as searing lips trailed down, teasing gently over the column of her throat.

“Do you wanna try it?” Nicole heard the break of arousal in her own voice, and she blushed as she felt the brunette smirk against her pulse point.

Waverly pulled back, darkened eyes almost sinful as they met Nicole’s gaze. 

“Your hands?” She smirked.

Nicole bit back a groan.

Those fucking _eyes._

She was one sweep of those fingers away from losing the threadbare band of her control. She slammed her eyes shut.

"M-making an ornament!" 

“Wait, _really?”_ Waverly’s voice changed instantly, the low timbre replaced by the higher ring of excitement. “You’ll teach me?”

Nicole chuckled as she opened her eyes The air turned on its head as the spark in Waverly’s gaze flickered from burning mischief to curiosity and excitement in mere moments. She sighed. It was _completely_ unacceptable how fast she was falling for this woman.

“Yeah, of course.” She grinned, her hands tracing soft circles over the dimples in the small of Waverly’s back.

_“Now?”_

“Yep.” Nicole laughed, nodding her head. “Anyone ever tell you you’re adorable, Earp?”

“Few times and counting, charmer.” Waverly grinned, linking her fingers with Nicole’s as she jumped from the couch, pulling the redhead up with her.

Nicole felt the nerves hit unexpectedly as they made their way down the garden path to the stone workshop. She wasn’t shy about her work, and Waverly herself now owned several of her creations, but there was something about her workspace itself that felt intimate. It was her safe space; somewhere she let her guard down, and her grandmother was the only other person she had ever invited inside. Sharing that intimacy with Waverly had felt obvious; she hadn’t even thought twice about the offer as she’d made it, but she couldn’t help the nervous butterflies that flooded her stomach as she clicked the lock, and pushed back the door.

Waverly gasped as the redhead flicked on the light.

“Oh my _god,_ Nicole… this is _incredible.”_ Waverly’s eyes traced the shelves, that inquisitive spark burning as she trailed her fingers over the tools and the ornaments and the fixings that lined them. “Where did you learn all this?”

“My grandma taught me to whittle a bauble from driftwood when I was just six.” 

Nicole grinned as she eyed the shelf of her childhood creations, picking out that first tiny, misshapen ball that she had ever carved. She held it out to Waverly, chuckling as the brunette’s eyes misted and her lower lip jutted in adoration. 

“I’ve taken a few classes and things since then, but mainly I’ve just learned from the love of it.”

“Your Grandma sounds like she loved Christmas as much as you do.” Waverly grinned, nudging the redhead gently with her hip.

 _“Almost,”_ Nicole chuckled. “She’s _why_ I love it so much. She's the only one in my life who ever did."

The words had said nothing, really. Nothing of the true darkness of Nicole’s past, and yet something in the open warmth of Waverly’s eyes just seemed to see her. To see everything that she’d said, and everything that she hadn’t. 

She smiled wistfully, her fingers tracing the smooth curves of the last ornament she had made with her Grandmother before she passed. The year their roles had changed, and Nicole had taught the older woman to turn the wood. She swallowed thickly, the lump in her throat still unexpected even after all these years. 

"It was impossible not to love Christmas with Grandma. It was the only time I ever got to see her, and she made them the best days of my life. The last Christmas I spent with her was the last _real_ Christmas I had."

The words seemed to spark a change of something in hazel eyes that made Nicole’s heart lurch. A flash of something poignant buried deep beneath their warm gaze that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Regret. Grief. Understanding.

Her own words played back in her head, and Nicole’s jaw tightened as she processed the trigger.

_Real Christmas._

Was this the moment? Was this Nicole’s chance to come clean? To tell Waverly about the letter?

Waverly’s lips parted, her eyes heavy as she considered her response.

"I… my…"

The air felt tighter; tenser, and Nicole could feel the weight of the dark memories as they settled around Waverly’s shoulders. 

It was crazy, really, how much the pull between them could say without the need to speak. Nicole knew that her childhood wasn't a road that they could travel down without pulling at Waverly’s own dark past, and the look in hazel eyes told her that the brunette wasn't ready to take that leap. 

Which meant the letter, too. She wasn't ready.

Not now. Not yet. Nicole could feel it.

“Hey," she whispered. She shook her head softly, reassuring eyes fixed on Waverly’s. "We've got time."

Waverly’s eyes widened a little, Nicole’s words clearly unexpected.

"I just…" 

She dropped her gaze for a moment. Guilty, apologetic. Nicole’s chest clenched tight. She hooked a finger gently beneath the brunette’s chin, lifting her gaze back to her own, willing her to see the earnest patience that she knew would reflect in her eyes. 

Waverly smiled weakly.

"I don't want you to think that I don't… o-or that I'm not..."

She didn't speak the words, but Nicole could see them in her eyes.

_I don't want you to think that I don't care. Or that I'm not listening._

She wrapped her arms around Waverly’s waist, pulling their hips flush together. 

"I want you to know everything about me, Waverly. And I want to know anything and everything that you’re willing to share with me. But there's no rush. There's no pressure. I'm not going anywhere." Nicole grinned, rubbing her nose gently over the brunette’s. "And tonight I'm more than happy just to share a bit of something that I love with you.”

Hazel eyes filled with unshed tears, and the guilt and the pain bled instantly into something that looked a lot like the way Nicole’s heart pounded in her chest and her _entire_ body filled with butterflies. 

It was too soon. But it looked, and it felt, a lot like falling.

This time when their lips met, the sparks burned differently. Those heated embers seared stronger than ever, but they blended with something deeper. An understanding that this was the start of something real.

Nicole grinned as they pulled back. She spun Waverly in her arms, pulling her back against her front as she nuzzled her face into the brunette's neck, planting kisses over the flushed skin.

"Come on then, let's make a carpenter of you." 

She stepped forward, her arms still wrapped around a giggling Waverly’s waist as she ushered her toward the workstation.

Nicole had known full damn well that Waverly Earp would be the perfect student. Of course she had. With the bright curiosity, the unsurpassable intelligence, and the intrepid enthusiasm with which the brunette threw herself into everything new, she had never doubted it. 

But what she hadn’t known, was just how goddamn _sexy_ she would find it.

The way that Waverly’s brow creased as she concentrated on the steps that Nicole showed her, and the way soft eyes hardened with steely determination as she took to the tools for the first time. The way inexperienced hands shifted; stronger, defter as she slowly conquered the slice of the blade through the small piece of soft wood.

That determination, that hunger, that self-satisfaction that radiated from Waverly’s eyes and her body as she worked.

Nicole couldn't deny that her blood was definitely running a little hotter, her pulse thumping a little harder in her veins. She couldn’t help that growing desire to know how it would feel when _she_ was the one beneath those curious eyes and those restless fingers.

Waverly beamed, her teeth almost gritted in triumph as she proudly held her completed, freshly painted bauble aloft, the string looped around her index finger.

Nicole grinned. She knew she looked as smitten as she felt, and she honestly didn't care.

She was one hundred percent falling. 

“Flawless. Wanna go put it on the tree?”

 _“Yes!”_ Waverly practically yelped. She furrowed her brow. _“_ Doesn’t it need to dry?”

Nicole chuckled, unable to resist pulling the brunette into a quick kiss. 

“It’ll be alright, just hold it by its string.”

Waverly didn't take her eyes off of her bauble as they headed back along the path, and Nicole couldn't help but giggle at the childlike wonder in the brunette’s face. The shift had been so easy. It had taken _so_ little to scrape back that thin layer and unearth the same search for magic that Waverly had scrawled across that tattered page seventeen years ago. It was _obscene,_ to Nicole, that no-one else had ever tried.

The wonder didn't fade as Waverly hung the ornament carefully on the tree, posing proudly beside it as Nicole snapped a photo with her phone. 

Then she fell quiet for a moment, those wonder-filled eyes searching Nicole’s own for something the redhead wasn't entirely sure of, but it made her stomach flip in anticipation. 

"Thank you," Waverly murmured.

Nicole opened her mouth to respond. To wave it off, assuming it had been gratitude for the bauble. But something in the change of the air between them cut her words off in her throat. There was something thicker; far more weighted in the low tone of the brunette’s voice, and in the way awed eyes darkened that felt like _more_. Nicole swallowed.

"W-what for?" she croaked.

Waverly bit her lip. She took a slow, deliberate step forward, her eyes burning as they bore into the redhead’s own. 

_"Everything,"_ Waverly husked.

Nicole could feel the fire in hazel eyes blaze straight through her lungs, setting every nerve ending alight as it pooled heavy between her thighs.

Waverly closed the gap in purposeful strides, her hands flying deep into red hair as she claimed Nicole’s lips in a searing kiss. The movements were instantly deep and unashamedly wanting, the molten need too thick for soft and tentative touches. Nicole’s entire body responded viscerally, the fire in those eyes and searing on those lips pushing her immediately into a state of arousal she wasn't sure she had it in her to control. She slipped her hands over Waverly’s hips, desperate fingers tugging at the brunette’s shirt until they slid against silken skin. She pulled Waverly as close as possible, her muscles trembling with desire in _every_ single place that the brunette's body touched her own. 

Until now the heat between them had smoldered slowly, new embers sparking with each touch, but this was a white-hot flame ignited. Unstoppable. _Unbearable._

Nicole's muscles moved impulsively as she ran her hands over the backs of Waverly’s thighs, pulling them up and over her own hips effortlessly. The increased contact; the weight of the brunette against her body, and the way Waverly’s hips rolled against her was making her dizzy. It was too much and not enough, and she _needed_ to feel more. Her legs shook with her arousal as she carried them, entwined and stumbling unsteadily toward the couch, almost delirious hands clutching at every curve they could reach. 

Waverly moaned softly as her back hit the couch, the redhead’s hips pressed firmly between her thighs, and Nicole bit back a whimper at the sound.

She _needed_ to hear that again.

She practically growled, low in her chest as Waverly tugged in her hair. She ground her hips down hard, groaning into the kiss as Waverly arched up into her.

Then those roaming hands found the front of her shoulders, and the soft pressure as they pushed against them was just enough to shatter the haze of lust that clouded Nicole’s brain. She broke away, her heart lurching in her throat as she felt Waverly push back. Stop her. She threw her hips back, lifting her weight from Waverly’s body as a cold panic washed over her.

 _Shit_.

Had she pushed it too far? She had lost herself _so_ quickly, her desire consuming her every nerve faster than she had ever known it could. Had she misread the signs? Guilty panic surged in her chest, and her words fell breathlessly as apologetic eyes searched the brunette’s for any sign of distress or upset.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Wave, I got carried away, I…"

Waverly shook her head, cutting Nicole’s words off with a short, heated kiss before fixing burning eyes on the redhead’s own once more. 

"I want you," Waverly murmured. She rolled her hips up, tugging deliberately on the redhead’s belt loops to close the gap between them. “Just not here. Take me upstairs, Nic.”

_Oh._

Nicole’s eyes fluttered closed and she bit down hard on her lip as she clutched at the last threads of her composure; fought to hold her muscles back for just _one_ more moment. Just enough to ask. To be certain that they _both_ wanted this.

“Are you sure?”

_"Yes."_

The reply was instant.

Waverly chuckled, her eyes softer for the very briefest of moments as they locked on Nicole’s.

"I’ve never been more sure of _anything_ in my life.”

❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅🎄❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅

Nicole's chest practically buzzed with the adrenaline of excitement as she pulled her truck in to park at the homestead. There were just a few days now until Christmas, and she still had one more item to check off on Waverly’s list. Two, if she counted the dinner, but that was planned. The guests were invited, the tofurkey was on order, and the fridge and the cupboards were stocked to the brim with everything a person could ever need for a Christmas feast.

And… well. 

There were _three_ items unchecked, really. That elusive number eight. But despite the fact that she knew _she_ was falling fast and hard in love with the youngest Earp, Nicole knew that it would be naive to hope that the brunette was feeling anything near the same. Not yet.

Maybe she could tick that one off one day, if she was _really_ goddamn lucky, but in any case, that was not something she had ever set out believing she could do for Christmas. 

So that aside, there was just one thing missing from Waverly Earp's Real Christmas. 

_To make a proper holiday card like the ones that my friends at school send every year. They always wear silly sweaters and you can see their tree or their fireplace. I want to be able to send a card back this year._

Nicole grinned to herself as she jumped from her truck, slinging her camera bag around her neck as she headed up the porch steps to the homestead. She just had to hope Wynonna would agree.

She found both Earp sisters sat around the crackling fire, Jeremy and Robin curled up on the couch beside them. The chorus of greetings that rang out as she entered the room would never grow old. This was starting to feel a lot like a found family for Nicole, and she didn't think she could ever get enough of the way that thought warmed her chest and made her cheeks ache.

Waverly jumped up immediately, beaming as she wrapped her arms around Nicole's waist and pulled her into a lingering kiss. The kiss was _just_ soft enough to be innocent, but the slow, heated movements of the brunette’s lips were enough to set Nicole’s pulse racing a little harder, her mind consumed instantly with a hazy cloud of desire.

Until Wynonna’s brash, exaggerated cough burst through their bubble, and Waverly pulled back with a cheeky grin.

"What’s this, baby?" 

Waverly tugged gently on the strap that bound the redhead’s camera around her neck.

 _"Well,_ I couldn't help but notice I've not received a holiday card from the Earps." Nicole grinned, her tone deliberately light and teasing. She shrugged. _"So_ I brought my camera in case you might want to make one."

Waverly’s face lit up, her eyes wide and her lips parted in excitement. 

_"Oh_ my _god_ , I've always wanted to do one of these! Is it too late? _Can_ we do one still?"

Nicole giggled. Waverly’s enthusiasm and her excitement _never_ failed to make her heart pound a little faster. She was pretty sure she would do _anything_ for that crinkle around the edges of hazel eyes.

"I don't see why not, I've got all the stuff in my car to print them. We can drop them round and then go for a drink at Shorty’s?"

Nicole glanced around, addressing the last of her sentence to the rest of the room. She grinned as Wynonna, Jeremy and Robin all nodded and sounded their agreement.

 _"You_ are _amazing,"_ Waverly whispered, wrapping her arms around Nicole’s neck and pulling her back into a brief, heated kiss before jumping back with a gasp of excitement. " _Ooh_ let me go put my Christmas sweater on. Wy, go get your onesie!"

Nicole chuckled, shaking her head as Waverly bounded out of the room. Wynonna dragged herself up, grumbling and complaining under her breath, though the soft smirk on her lips betrayed her amused willing. There was something in her eyes as she approached Nicole. Something steely that made the redhead’s stomach drop in anxious anticipation as the older Earp leaned in, her voice dropping low enough for only Nicole to hear her.

"You ever gonna tell her about the letter, Haught? It's getting a little weird now that you're banging."

Nicole tutted, screwing her face up in disgust at the brunette’s brash choice of words. 

"I will. I want to, it's not that I'm trying to _hide_ it, it's just that…" She sighed, her shoulders dropping as piercing blue eyes bore into her own. "Well, the things in that letter, it'll… I'm worried that if Waverly knows I've seen that then it will force her to talk about things she hasn't chosen to tell me yet. I don't wanna push her before she's ready."

She knew the words were almost rehearsed. She'd told herself the same thing over and over and over again each time the guilt reared its ugly head. But it was true. She thought only of Waverly, and so she knew that her honesty would carry in her words.

Wynonna was quiet for a long moment, until finally she nodded, though her eyes remained harder, her lips still tight.

"Just be careful. You're walking a _very_ fine line between respect and a lie, and I won't have you lie to her, Haught."

Nicole blanched.

"I know." She nodded, holding Wynonna’s gaze as she spoke softly. "You're right, Earp, I know you are. I will, I promise you, I don't want to hurt her."

"I know." Wynonna’s eyes softened for the briefest of moments, then she smirked as she clapped Nicole on the back. "I can see it in those _disgusting_ heart eyes."

She disappeared up the stairs just as Waverly skipped and danced her way back down them, the lights of her sweater twinkling as she moved.

Nicole tried to focus on setting up her camera and its tripod, but she could barely keep her eyes off of Waverly as the brunette fluffed and preened and positioned things around the fireplace, until the lights and the garlands and the wooden ornaments almost resembled Purgatory’s grotto. 

Nicole hadn't known what she had expected from Wynonna Earp’s Christmas onesie, but she could say for sure that it was _not_ this. She had brought all of her Christmas sweaters with her, just in case the older Earp had needed some persuasion, but this was _far_ better than anything she had in her bag. The reindeer onesie had antlers, a red nose, and a tail, and even Wynonna couldn't manage to look intimidating under that amount of fluff.

Nicole took as many photos as she could. Some with silly poses, some softer, and one or two that she knew full damn well she would be cropping Wynonna out of and setting as her mobile phone background.

She knew the one that would adorn the holiday card even as she pressed the shutter button. Waverly was looking at the camera, the fire in her eyes lit bright in that way that Nicole was beginning to understand was reserved only for her. Her smile was brilliant, the crinkles in her eyes showing it's true warmth, and the glow of the lights around her looked almost angelic as it weaved through caramel waves. Wynonna was looking at Waverly. Blue eyes were misted, a soft smile tugging at the dimple on her cheek as she watched the joy radiate from her sister. 

It was perfect. 

"Does that thing have a timer?" Waverly smirked, her eyebrow quirked.

"Yeah, and I have this." Nicole nodded, holding up the small remote control. "Why?"

"Get in then." Waverly grinned.

Nicole raised her eyebrows, pointing a finger at her own chest in question.

"Yep! I want one with my _best_ baby in it," Waverly sang, beckoning with her finger for Nicole to join her. "And Jeremy and Robin too. Please can we have a group one?" 

_"Wait…"_ Nicole yelled, rushing to the hallway to grab her bag. She grinned, handing the Christmas sweaters out to Jeremy and Robin. "If we're gonna do it, we gotta do it properly."

This time, she couldn’t see; didn't know _what_ the photos would look like, and so if possible, she took even more. She tried to capture as many moments as she could as the group laughed and joked and teased each other. Even if they didn't turn out well, they would mean a lot to Nicole. Her first photos of her found family. 

The group gathered on the couches as Nicole hooked her camera up to the smart TV, pulling the photos up on a slideshow for them to see. She started with the ones of Waverly and Wynonna together. The room filled with a chaotic chorus of _no_ and _I don't like that_ and _yes_ and _no my nose looks massive,_ neither sister ever able to agree on the same photos.

Until the one that Nicole had known would be the gold. 

Both fell quiet, and Nicole’s chest warmed as Wynonna wrapped her arms around Waverly’s shoulders, pulling her in for a cuddle.

"Now _that's_ lovely." Waverly grinned, resting her head against her sister’s shoulder. 

"Can't argue with that." Wynonna smiled softly, planting a kiss on the side of Waverly’s head. "Love you, Babygirl."

The room filled once more with the same chaos as Nicole flicked through the group shots. So many were useless. Robin somehow managed to blink in _every_ photo, even when they were candid, and Jeremy looked somehow more awkward than ever in front of the camera. Wynonna was far too busy cracking jokes and poses, and was blurry in almost every shot. They were amusing, but none that would be adorning any walls any time soon. 

Until, once more, there was one golden gem.

Robin was kissing Jeremy on the cheek. His eyes were closed, but at least this time it looked intentional. Jeremy was beaming widely under the attention, and his eyes shone as he looked at the camera. Wynonna had been mid-pose, and through some timing miracle the camera had managed to catch a moment in which she looked, frankly, like a goddamn Vogue model. Waverly was laughing, the spark in her eyes twinkling through the lens of the camera, her hand resting on Wynonna’s leg. Nicole was looking at Waverly like she’d hung the stars and the moon, her eyes softer than she'd known they were capable of, and her dimples out in full force.

"That's the one," Waverly whispered, leaning into Nicole’s side and tugging the redhead’s arm over her shoulder.

"For the card?" Nicole furrowed her brows. "Really? You don't want one of just you and Wy?"

“This is the one we’re using, Haught.” Waverly beamed, her fingers closing over Nicole’s chin as she pulled her down to kiss her. _“This_ is the one that makes me feel the happiest.”

Nicole chuckled, her stomach filling with butterflies at the smitten look in Waverly’s eyes. She kissed her again, her heart almost aching with the strength of the pull the brunette had on it.

"Okay then! I'll go get the printer!"


	8. Every One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the love for this fic. It's been a weird year, and I've lost myself in writing to hide away from the real world. You have all made that feel well worth it!
> 
> Merry Christmas!

Nicole stirred slowly, the room still faded in the dusky twilight of the winter morning. The first thing she was aware of was the soft, unhurried movements of Waverly’s sleep-warm hands, prickling goosebumps over the exposed skin of her waist and her hips. She sighed contentedly as she leaned back into the brunette's embrace.

She smiled softly, her nerves tingling with elation before she’d even fully opened her eyes. This really could never get old. She felt Waverly’s lips curl into a smile against the back of her shoulders, and the brunette pressed them against Nicole’s skin in a warm kiss.

"Mmm, mornin' beautiful," Nicole murmured, low and husky with the gravel of her sleep.

She caught Waverly’s wandering hand, bringing it to her lips before turning slowly, her smile instantly growing wider as she met the brunette’s sparkling gaze.

"Merry Christmas, baby," Waverly whispered. 

Waverly's cheeks were flushed, sleep warm and rosy, and her smile was a picture of perfect sweet innocence.

But her wandering hands crept slowly over Nicole’s ribcage, her thumbs sweeping teasingly over rapidly hardening nipples and away, down to the dip of almost trembling hips before the redhead could even begin to process the sparks that lit beneath the touch.

And those eyes were definitely cheeky, burning with that glint of mischief that Nicole had quickly associated with the trickle of arousal that pooled in the base of her spine.

She shuddered.

Waverly Earp owned her. She was completely powerless to resist her.

"And a _very…"_

Nicole smirked, leaning in to claim Waverly’s lips in a deep, lazy kiss.

"Merry…" 

She grinned, linking the fingers of both hands with Waverly's as she rolled them over, pinning the brunette beneath her, her hands above her head.

"Christmas…" 

She kept her voice low, deliberately husky as she bit down on Waverly’s earlobe, trailing heated, open mouthed kisses over the brunette’s neck.

"To you too."

"You know…" Waverly gasped softly as Nicole flicked her tongue over the brunette’s pulse point. She huffed out a laugh, tugging half-heartedly against the restraints of Nicole’s hands over her own. "This is the first year I can remember waking up with butterflies on Christmas Day."

"Oh yeah?" Nicole pulled back, connecting playful eyes with Waverly’s as she grinned cheekily. "You wanna check if Santa’s been?"

Waverly smirked.

"Oh I _know_ Santa’s been. Everything I've ever wanted is right here in my bed."

Nicole stilled.

The words had been cheeky; playful; throwaway, and yet the redhead could almost feel them wrap around her chest, pulling it tighter and pushing her heart into her throat. She swallowed, cursing the _ridiculous_ tears that burned behind her eyes.

"Cheeseball." She tried for teasing, but the traitorous break in her voice was fooling no-one.

"Is that a _tear,_ Nicole Haught?" Waverly giggled, her fingers brushing the tint of pink over the redhead’s cheeks. "You're such an adorable sap."

 _"No._ Someone's cutting onions." Nicole grinned, leaning in to kiss Waverly’s amused smirk. "Probably. Somewhere…"

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

For the second time in just moments, Waverly’s words froze Nicole in her tracks. 

"W-what?" She searched the brunette’s wide eyes, her own brow creasing slightly as she contemplated the question. 

"My-my girlfriend?" Waverly’s lips trembled slightly as she stuttered, and her cheeks flushed deep red as a wave of panic flashed behind hazel eyes and she dropped her gaze. "Oh god, you don't have to. I'm so sorry, I just thought…"

"Wait, wait, _Waverly…"_ Nicole shook her head, her lips tugging into an abashed smile as she coaxed the brunette’s eyes back to her own. "Of _course_ I’ll be your girlfriend, I want nothing more. I was only surprised because I-I…”

She huffed out a shy chuckle, her own ears burning with a blush as she traced her thumb gently over Waverly’s lips. 

“Well, I kinda thought I already was."

Waverly giggled, her eyes misting with relief and delight at the redhead’s words.

"Well, I thought so too but I wasn't _sure,_ and we've never _said_ and I just wanted to…" She wrinkled her nose, shaking her head slightly. "Check."

Nicole grinned, her stomach somersaulting as she kissed Waverly deeply. She ran her hands over the sides of the brunette’s thighs, pulling them up and over her waist as she settled her hips between them.

“I wouldn’t be waking up on Christmas morning with just _anybody_ , Waverly Earp.”

“I should sure hope not, Nicole Haught.” Waverly smirked, her eyes darkening as she rolled her hips deliberately up into her girlfriend’s. “ _Especially_ not like _this.”_

❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅🎄❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅

Nicole frowned as she headed down the stairs, the clatter of pots and pans strikingly unusual for the early hour in the homestead. She had _very_ reluctantly left a very naked and very satisfied Waverly to get herself showered and dressed while she headed down to make a start on the preparations for dinner, and so she knew the younger Earp was not the person crashing about in the kitchen.

Which left only one option, and at not even 8am, that really was something of a Christmas miracle.

 _“Wow,_ I didn't know you knew what this hour was.” Nicole grinned as she entered the kitchen to find a wild haired and bleary eyed Wynonna, staring almost absently into the fridge. “Merry Christmas, Earp.”

“Haught, the walls in this house are _not_ very thick, and I did not need to start my Christmas listening to Saint Nic emptying her sack for my baby sister.” Wynonna shuddered. 

“Oh _, Jesus,_ that’s… that’s not even… I don’t even _have..._ ” Nicole spluttered, her eyes wide with disgust and her cheeks immediately tinting red with embarrassment. 

She trailed off as Wynonna quirked an eyebrow, the corners of her lips hinting at a smug smirk. 

“Never mind," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

Wynonna grinned. 

“But aside from not wanting to listen to you two make the yuletide _gay,_ I wanted to come down and make sure everything was started on time.”

Wynonna’s eyes softened, something a little wistful passing through them, and something a little more serious in the tone of her voice.

“I, uh…" She cleared her throat, her eyes fixed sternly on the kitchen counter to avoid Nicole’s gaze. "I didn't do much of this right growing up. In fact I didn't do much of this right at all, _ever_.” 

Blue eyes flicked reluctantly to meet mocha, and Nicole swallowed thickly at the blend of regret and gratitude that swam behind them as Wynonna continued.

“But _you_ have. I haven't seen Waverly this happy in _years,_ Nicole. Maybe even ever. And yes, I still think you're a _giant_ penis for not telling her about the letter and I really hope it doesn't bite you on the ass, but I can't thank you enough for giving Waverly the Christmas she's wanted for seventeen years.”

Wynonna’s eyes dropped back to the fridge, something steelier, more determined in them.

“The one I never gave her. And if you can do _all_ this to make this year perfect for her, then I can certainly get my ass out of bed at 8am and put the goddamn vegan turkey shit in the oven.”

Nicole blinked. The prickle of tears threatened in the back of her eyes for the second time that morning, and she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say. She smiled softly. This meant that it was Wynonna, really, who would be checking off the last item on Waverly’s Real Christmas list, and that couldn’t be more perfect.

_To sit around the table like a real family and have a Christmas dinner. Everyone looks so happy and the food looks so tasty._

She grinned, resting a hand on Wynonna’s shoulder as she stepped in beside her.

“If you’re on turkey duty, then I’ll take potatoes. But… definitely don't put that thing in now, unless you want a roasted brick. Where’s your peeler?”

Wynonna smirked, the usual playful, easy air settling back between them as they began to prep the meal.

Even through the walls and ceilings, Waverly’s dulcet tones floated into the room around them as the younger Earp sang in the shower. Nicole shared a soft glance with Wynonna, both shaking their heads with a grin as the chorus of 'I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday' rang out note-perfect.

Until Wynonna grimaced, rolling her eyes.

“This would be a _lot_ more wholesome if I didn’t know _exactly_ _why_ she’s in such a good mood this morning.”

Nicole smirked, shrugging her shoulders.

“It’s Christmas.”

Wynonna scowled.

“You disgust me.”

❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅🎄❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅

"How many sides does an icosagon have?"

Nicole had barely managed to read the words on the card before Waverly’s eyes flared, that triumph behind them that told her the brunette knew the answer. Nicole smirked, biting her cheek as Waverly waited, giving Wynonna the opportunity to answer first, as she had done with every card drawn so far.

"I've _definitely_ got this one," Wynonna sat forward. "I've got a _really_ strong feeling."

Wynonna very likely did not have it. Her feeling had been correct two times in the twenty or so cards that Nicole had read.

"Twelve!" Wynonna yelped. "Right?"

"Wave?" Nicole grinned, raising her eyebrows as she watched her girlfriend fight to keep the smug satisfaction from her voice and her face.

"I think it might be twenty?" 

It wasn't a question. Waverly Earp knew damn well it was twenty, but she was too much of a good sport to throw it in her sister's face. 

Nicole was in love. Indisputably. 

_“Dammit,”_ Wynonna groaned. _“So_ close.”

Nicole rolled her eyes.

She had just selected another card from the pile, when the sound of the front door clicked in the hallway, and a chorus of loud, tuneless singing carried through the house.

_“We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas...”_

Jeremy and Robin stumbled into the living room with a flourish, both wearing Christmas sweaters, carrying bags full of bottles and gifts, and balancing trays of desserts. 

_“And a happy new year.”_

Nicole jumped up to greet them, Waverly hot on her heels as they helped to juggle the load. She rolled her eyes as Wynonna simply settled further back onto the couch.

They hadn’t even managed to set everything down, Waverly still sorting dishes and Wynonna still pouring drinks, when the doorbell rang. Nicole furrowed her brows.

“Expecting anyone else?”

Waverly shook her head, her lips pursed in confusion.

Nicole headed into the hallway, her eyebrows flying up in surprise as she pulled the door open to find Dolls on the porch, a bottle of whiskey and a bag of gifts in his hands.

“Hey, dude!” Nicole stepped back to let her colleague into the house, her tone carrying her evident surprise. “Merry Christmas. I didn’t know I’d be seeing you.”

“Yeah, cheers for the invite Haught.” Dolls quirked an eyebrow, his tone deliberately flat but his eyes teasing.

Nicole blushed. The thought hadn’t even occurred to her once.

“I-I’m sorry, I thought you would have plans.”

“Relax, I’m just kidding.” He grinned. “Wynonna invited me.”

“Oh, _really?_ ” Nicole smirked, her eyes widening. She had _not_ seen that one happening.

Dolls stared stoically at her, but Nicole knew him well enough to recognise the slight twitch at the corners of his lips that betrayed his amusement. She grinned, shaking her head as she followed him back into the living room. She watched, amused, as he greeted Wynonna awkwardly under the watchful eyes of the room, with a chaste kiss on the cheek and a bottle of whiskey. 

Waverly’s arm slipped around Nicole’s waist as the brunette appeared beside her.

“Did you know about this?”

“Not a clue!” Nicole chuckled.

“Take it that means it’s _off_ time with Doc.” 

“I don’t understand _when…_ ” 

“It’s probably better not to question it. Besides...” Waverly grinned, her hand trailing lightly over the back of Nicole’s thigh as she closed her teeth playfully over her earlobe. “We have been a _little_ distracted lately.”

Nicole shivered.

“Couldn’t _possibly_ say _why…”_ She smirked, spinning Waverly into her arms and kissing her deeply. “Now behave yourself, we have a dinner to get through.”

There was _way_ too much food. Every trimming you could possibly imagine was piled onto dishes on the table, steam rising up from the plates as the group served themselves. They hadn't even settled down to eat, and the light bickering and gentle teasing and pushing and shoving and laughter already felt more like a family Christmas dinner than anything Nicole had ever experienced.

Waverly was glowing.

“Merry Christmas everyone!" The brunette beamed. "Thank you Wy, thank you Nic for this, it looks _incredible."_

“Wait!” Wynonna cried, slapping a fork from Jeremy’s hand as he moved to take his first mouthful. She waved a cracker in his face. “We gotta do _these_ fuckers first!"

The room erupted in chaos, arms crossing everywhere as the group tried to establish who should be pulling which end of which cracker. _Finally_ the pop and sparks of six crackers rang out across the table, and Wynonna whooped loudly as she triumphantly waved both of her victories in the air. She immediately discarded the thimble and the ridiculous tiny comb, and pulled her paper hat carelessly onto her head.

“What did Santa do when he went speed dating?” Wynonna grinned, reading from the joke card she had pulled from one of her crackers.

“Found himself a ho ho ho?” Nicole smirked.

 _“Nicole Haught!”_ Wynonna cackled, her eyes wide as she slapped the table. _“Man,_ I wish it had been that. No, he pulled a cracker!”

Nicole groaned.

“Who’s Rudolph’s favourite pop star?” Jeremy called.

“Diana Ross?” Robin shot immediately, his tone hopeful and his eyes wide.

 _“Why_ would it be Diana Ross?” Jeremy frowned.

“Everyone loves Diana Ross.” Robin shrugged.

“Beyon-sleigh!” Jeremy giggled. 

Robin stared blankly, his brow creased slightly in confusion. Jeremy shook his head, throwing his joke card over his shoulder and turning his focus instead to his hat. 

There was quiet for a brief moment, only the rustle of paper as everyone pulled their own hat onto their heads.

 _“Now_ you can all tuck in," Wynonna announced, already halfway through a mouthful of turkey.

Nicole could barely take her eyes off of Waverly as they ate. The brunette’s eyes had sparkled through the whole meal, and her laughter had rang the loudest. She had clearly eaten far more than any human should have, and Nicole knew all too well that neither of them would be able to move later, but it felt _so_ worth it. 

❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅🎄❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅

_"Waverly Earp,_ I do not see a gift for me under here with your name on it and I don't like it!" 

Wynonna’s muffled voice carried all the way from under the tree to the kitchen, where Nicole was preparing drinks for the group as they all settled in the living room for their gift exchange.

"Oh, fudgenuggets, Nicole has it." Waverly jumped from the couch. "I knew you'd hunt for it if I left it anywhere here."

"I would _never._ " Wynonna scoffed. "Makes sense though, I tried everywhere I could think of…"

Nicole grinned, shaking her head.

"It's under the seat in the truck, baby," she called out, spilling soda over the counter as she tried to rush. "I'll grab it in just a moment."

"It's okay, I'll get it." 

Waverly bounced into the kitchen, immediately planting a kiss on Nicole’s cheek. The redhead caught her as she moved away, pulling her back into a soft, lingering kiss.

"The keys are in the top pocket of my coat," she murmured, her lips still brushing gently over her girlfriend’s. She kissed her once more, her stomach flipping as she felt the brunette smile against her lips.

She would definitely _never_ get enough of Waverly’s kiss.

Nicole had just finished handing out the drinks when Waverly bounced back into the room, gift in hand and wearing the redhead’s coat. The brunette skipped straight past her, sliding the present under the tree before turning back to face her girlfriend. Nicole knew she must have looked as smitten as she felt, her puppy dog eyes on full impact. No matter how many times she saw it, Waverly wearing her clothes still made her swoon, and the brunette knew it.

Waverly swayed her hips deliberately as she made her way across the room toward Nicole. She pushed both hands into the coat pockets, shrugging her shoulders up coyly under the redhead’s adoring gaze.

 _Fuck,_ Nicole was in love. It was almost painful to hold the words in.

“What’s this?" Waverly's eyes sparked with interest as she pulled her hand out of the pocket, bringing a faded, discoloured old envelope with it.

Nicole’s blood ran cold through her veins, her heart freezing in her chest.

Oh _shit._

_Not_ now. _Not_ today.

The spark of intrigue in Waverly’s eyes dulled, something that looked a lot like fear passing through them as they flicked between the cold panic on Nicole’s face, and the familiar looping letters over the front of the envelope. 

"Nicole…?" 

Her voice was small, her fingers trembling slightly as she pulled back the fold, and slipped the letter from the envelope. 

Nicole swallowed hard. She knew she needed to say something, needed to explain, but she couldn't force her tongue to find the words. 

"I… it's...” 

The thick haze through Waverly’s eyes as they scanned the page tugged hard in Nicole’s chest, and her words caught in her throat once more. She couldn't read the emotion behind them, beyond the recognition as the words replaced with memories in Waverly’s mind. She didn't know what it meant. Didn't know the colours. She felt sick.

"Nicole, where did you get this?" Waverly breathed.

“I found it when I was renovating.” Nicole could hear the break of nerves and guilt in her own voice, and she winced as Waverly’s eyes met her own once more. "I-in the vent."

There was a long, nauseating moment of silence as Waverly read the words on the page, painstakingly carefully. The quiet was deafening. Even through the voices around the tree behind them, the lack of Waverly’s words pierced daggers in Nicole’s chest, and she held her breath. She knew she needed to stay quiet. Knew that Waverly needed the time and the respect to absorb the words of her childhood letter, but the unease in Nicole’s stomach only built higher as she waited.

"Did…" Waverly’s fingers still shook around the letter as she spoke, but her eyes were steelier now as they met Nicole’s. Darker in colour, and the confusion and the edges of anger were starting to burn clear through the uncertainty. "Did you find this _before_ or _after_ you met me?"

Nicole swallowed.

"Before."

Waverly nodded, her eyes dropping back to the letter, scanning the words once more. The emotions across the brunette’s face shifted so subtly, so quickly; anger, fear, pain, something softer, back again so sharply that Nicole didn't have the time to recognise them before they passed.

Nicole could feel the tears burn in the back of her eyes as Waverly turned away from her, her feet carrying her almost on instinct out of the room and into the hallway. Nicole wasn't sure if Waverly wanted her to follow, but her feet wouldn't allow her to stay. She exhaled slowly, stepping out after her girlfriend and closing the door behind her in an effort to put a barrier of privacy between Waverly’s pain and the chaos of their found family.

Waverly spun to face her, her eyes clouded with something unreadable.

“You found this, and you took it upon yourself to give someone you _didn’t know_ everything on their childhood Christmas list?”

The demand was clear now. Waverly wanted answers. Deserved answers.

“Well, no, I…” 

Nicole faltered. She had dug this hole trying to respect Waverly, and she had gotten it wrong. The only way to respect her girlfriend now was to give her the honesty she was asking for. 

“Not at first. I didn't set out to give you everything, it was just meant to be the calendar. But then I _met_ you and you're just _everything_ and...”

She trailed off. She wasn't sure she had the right words, and the last thing Waverly deserved right now was more of the wrong ones.

Guilt seared hard in Nicole’s chest as Waverly held her gaze. The mist in hazel eyes now, she _did_ know.

Fear. 

"All these things… you knew... Nicole, did you use this list to get close to me?"

_What?_

_"No_ , of course not! I…"

Nicole’s chest tightened, panic clenching so hard she could almost feel it grip around her lungs, squeezing the air out of them. 

_Had_ she?

She hadn't meant to. Not like that. _Never_ like that. But _fuck_ , _had_ she?

The words that tumbled now were out of Nicole’s control. Guilt and panic and desperation working much faster than her logic, and she struggled to bite back the sting of tears.

"God, Waverly not intentionally. Never intentionally, I swear to you. I just…"

"Then _why_ didn't you _tell_ me? I don't understand."

Waverly’s voice was cooler than Nicole had expected. The anger was there, but it bubbled low under the surface, and that was somehow worse. Waverly was giving her the chance to explain herself, and under the expectant gaze of her girlfriend’s eyes, Nicole knew she'd been wrong. She knew that her answer wasn't good enough. She'd wanted to protect Waverly, but she'd lied to her. Disrespected her, and she knew that bubbling anger was more than justified.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Waverly. I was going to. I was, but…" 

She took a deep breath. She knew her reasons were the wrong ones, but Waverly deserved to know why she'd been lied to. 

"There were things in that letter that seemed like things you share with someone in your own time. I made a mistake, I know that now, but I didn't want you to think that I expected you to tell me anything. Or that I judged you, or that I saw anything that you didn't _want_ for me to see."

"But you did." 

Waverly’s voice was so small that Nicole could easily have missed it, had the air around them not been so tight. Had she not been hanging on to every breath the brunette took. Waverly sighed shakily, her eyes wider now as they searched Nicole’s. More vulnerable.

"You saw _everything,"_ she whispered.

“I really am sorry, Waverly. I thought I was doing the right thing, and I…" Nicole shook her head, her throat aching with the effort to hold back her tears. "I just wanted you to have the Christmas you wanted. I swear, I never meant to hurt you. Or to make you mad.”

The long moment of quiet that followed felt like an eternity.

“I...” Waverly shook her head as she finally spoke, her eyes misting with her own tears. “I feel a _lot_ of things right now, Nicole Haught, and yes mad is one of them, but…” She took a shaky breath, her lips quirking ever so slightly into the smallest of smiles. "Really quite strangely, it's not the strongest one.” 

Nicole swallowed, her shoulders sinking with the first signs of relief as Waverly stepped slowly forward, the space between them feeling ever so slightly less alien with each movement. 

"Really?" she breathed, her heart pounding as Waverly moved closer still. "Because I _really_ like you, Waverly. I promise I know my mistakes now and I won't lie to you again, I swear…"

Waverly huffed out a soft chuckle as she let her eyes drift over the letter one last time, before folding it back along the now worn lines, and slotting it into the pocket of her own jeans. 

“You _should_ have told me. I wish you hadn’t hidden this from me, but…" 

Hazel eyes met Nicole's gaze, and this time she knew the spark behind them. This time it was soft, warm, familiar, and Nicole felt the relief in every nerve of her body.

"But I… I get it. I trust you, and I get that you thought you had your reasons. You're an _idiot,_ but I trust that in that big old ball of mush of a heart, you _meant_ to do right by me." Waverly closed the gap between them, her hands tracing the hem of the redhead’s sweater as she tugged her close. "And that's okay for now. Do _not_ prove me wrong, Haught." 

"I _promise,"_ Nicole breathed, her voice breaking.

"Good." Waverly smirked. "Because actually, what I feel _most,_ is that you are incredible, baby."

The tears burned in Nicole’s eyes, and this time it was too strong. She felt them pool, the relief overwhelming her as Waverly kissed her softly.

"You are _incredible,_ and what you did was incredible. This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you for giving me my first _Real Christmas,_ Nic," Waverly whispered. "I cannot believe you made _every_ one of those wishes come true.”

Nicole huffed out a watery chuckle, resting her forehead against Waverly’s. Her stomach was completely awash with butterflies, the weight lifted and the relief hitting her harder than she had expected. 

Then it dropped. Along with her heart.

_Wait._

Did she just say…?

“E-every one?” 

Nicole’s voice trembled, her eyes wide as she pulled back to focus them on sparkling hazel.

_So that's my number 8._

_To fall in love._

“Every. One.” Waverly grinned, pulling Nicole into a searing kiss.

Nicole pulled back, her head swimming and her breath falling hard.

“Okay, but just to be clear… _all_ of them?”

Waverly chuckled. 

“I love you, Nicole.”

Nicole froze. The words almost echoed in her ears, pulsing through her veins with every beat of her racing heart, and setting every nerve ending alight with heat and flame and _impossible_ euphoria.

“ _Awesome._ ” 

The word fell on a hushed breath, and Nicole blushed immediately as Waverly giggled. She grinned, shaking her head slightly at her own awed state.

“I _really_ love you too."

Waverly beamed, those adorable crinkles popping in her eyes as the words wrapped around her, pulling her closer. Nicole kissed her, soft and sweet, hunger and fire. Like always. Only this time it was freer. Every movement filled with elation, and trust, and love.

“So, _Saint Nic...”_ Waverly pulled back, her fingers slipping under the hem of Nicole’s sweater, trailing teasingly over the dimples in the small of her back that always made her shiver.

Nicole knew that fire in her girlfriend’s eyes. She knew that filthy smirk that tugged at her lips, and she knew the current of electricity that ran beneath her teasing fingers.

Nicole knew _exactly_ what Waverly’s words were intended to do to her

And it was working. 

“Do you wanna hear _this_ year’s Christmas list?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may notice the chapter numbers for this have changed. This has been the last chapter in the story arc.
> 
> I've been keeping the 9th chapter quiet because it will bring a ratings change - if you're not up for an E rated chapter, you won't miss any storyline by skipping chapter 9! You can end the fic here.
> 
> For those who do want it, it is from Waverly's perspective, and is now up under the next work in this series.


End file.
